Broken Angel
by OhYeahCabana
Summary: Joining her brother on the road, Layla was a shell of her former confident and happy self, Dolph was determined to change that. Dean Ambrose tries to help her get past her abusive relationship that's left her scarred physically and mentally. Can he break through the walls she puts up and gain her trust and love? Will her ex really let her move on?
1. Prologue

So I probably shouldn't start another story when i'm still writing New Beginnings but the idea for this story has been stuck in my head for a while. I hope you like this one. Here's the prologue. **  
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**Prologue **

Nick remembered, as his sister Layla sat trembling in his arms after another vivid nightmare, the day three months ago when, with a few days off and after not seeing his sister in a long time, he's decided on a surprise visit. However, that day in May it was him who'd ended up being surprised. As he'd got closer to the apartment she shared with her then boyfriend, Carter, he had heard shouting and when he walked into the house he was faced with a scene that would haunt him for a long time.

Crouched down in one of the corners of the living room was Layla, tears streaming down her face, a split lip and bruised cheek. Carter was towering above her, a tight grip on a section of her long blonde hair as he screamed at her; telling her she was a slut and he was going to teach her a lesson. At that moment Nick had seen red and launched himself at Layla's boyfriend, knocking him to the ground and throwing punch after punch at him until Layla, hysterical now, had eventually managed to get him to stop.

He remembered how that night his sister, after gentle encouragement from Nick and in the safety of the hotel room he had booked them into for the night, opened up about her relationship and the violence being a regular thing. Both siblings had spent that night crying; Nick at the revelation of his sister's suffering and Layla at the day's events and finally telling someone her secret.

That night, Nick had also called up Stephanie informing her that he needed some time off work for personal reasons which she granted; suffering from a bad concussion would immediately be worked into his storyline giving him the time off he needed. He told Layla that she was moving in with him now and he was going to look after her. And he had. The next day, he'd gone back to the apartment on his own to collect Layla's stuff.

He had wanted her to report Carter but it was all too much for her; she just wanted to try and forget everything, though that would be a lot harder than she thought. As much as Nick wanted her to report Carter he knew he had to tread carefully with Layla and could only hope that she would eventually. Reluctant to leave her, he'd managed to get her a job with WWE as a hair stylist; that way she could travel with him and he could keep an eye on her, knowing she would be safe.

Telling their parents and her other brother, Ryan, was extremely hard for Layla, she felt weak and worthless but Nick was there for her every step of the way. It was hard for them to hear that their daughter had suffered so much and it killed them knowing they had not noticed. Many tears were shed. Ryan was adamant he was going to kill Carter; Nick physically having to stop him from leaving the house. Sure her family had noticed that as time went on her visits to them had become less frequent but at first they had put it down to her moving away for college and then moving to Denver with Carter when she dropped out of college after a year. They had assumed that like Nick and Ryan that she was off doing her own thing and happy. How wrong they were.

Layla, though she was close to Ryan, had always been closest to Nick. She was the youngest of the three siblings at twenty two; the surprise pregnancy, but she was utterly doted on by her brothers. As she got older she was always the one cheering the loudest for her brothers at wrestling matches, especially Nick who, an amateur wrestler at High school, held the record at his high school for the most pins in a career.

She had always been a happy go lucky person, her smile could light a room up. However that had slowly changed the longer she was with Carter. In the same classes as her at High school, Layla had been ecstatic when he asked her out on her eighteenth birthday; she'd had a crush on him for a while. Going to the same college together, Layla couldn't have been happier, she was young and in love and oh so naïve. Carter soon realised college wasn't for him and soon dropped out, resenting that Layla was having a good time and making so many friends.

Oh how Carter didn't like the number of friends Layla made at college, or how she was always hanging out with them. He especially didn't like all the guys she was friends with, the attention they gave her. Wanting to keep Carter happy, afraid she'd lose his, Layla dropped out of college after her first year. Carter's older sister lived in Denver with her boyfriend who owned his own garage while she worked in a local salon; getting on well with his sister's boyfriend Carter convinced Layla to move there with him. Layla agreed, she'd do anything for him. Moving there, Carter working as an apprentice in Trent's garage and Michaela getting Layla an apprenticeship in the salon, things soon began deteriorating. Carter's moods got worse, he'd have a go at Layla for the smallest thing and he started dictating her life; she stopped going out as much. Not long after she turned twenty the violence started.

All the bruises and cuts she had after that day in May healed after a few weeks; the mental scars remained. Coming into contact with his sister again, it dawned on Nick just how much Layla had changed. She was no longer the fun loving, always smiling person he remembered. Instead she'd become more introverted, lacked confidence, rarely smiled. He couldn't help but worry at how much weight she had also lost; she had always been relatively small but she was even smaller now. He also noticed that she flinched a lot of the time, if she thought she'd done something wrong, made someone angry. She also didn't like it if someone who wasn't her immediate family touched her. All of this broke Nick's heart. Nick was sad that his sister was so broken and at the same time so angry that Carter had done this to her; had hurt her so much physically and mentally. Like Ryan, he wanted to hurt Carter badly, to make him feel the fear Layla must have when she was with him, but he knew getting locked up wouldn't help Layla. Right now Nick's only concern was helping his sister, fixing her; Carter had left her a broken mess. He wasn't going to let anyone hurt her again.

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Hope you liked the prologue. Let me know what you think


	2. Old Scars

First of, a a massive thank you to everyone who is following this story, added it to their favorites and reviewed it! Secondly, I know the first chapter and this one have been a bit slow where I'm introducing everything but I swear the pace will pick up in the next chapter. Now that out the way, enjoy :)

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"Hey, Nick you ever going to introduce us to your girlfriend?" Big E Langston called out to his friend who had just entered the canteen with the women his friends had seen him hanging out with the past month. They didn't know much about here apart from that they were pretty sure she was a new hair stylist for WWE and she spent all her free time with Nick.

Nick walked over to the table Big E sat at in catering with AJ, Celeste, CM Punk and Kofi, "Awkward bro, she's not my girlfriend. This is my sister, Layla." The Showoff revealed, gesturing to Layla who stood close to him, a small smile on her face. She took a deep breath, she could do this, it was just her brothers friends. Nothing to be scared about.

"Hi. Nick, you never told us you had a sister. " Celeste spoke up first, a big warm smile on the Texan's face. "That being said, I'm surprised we never noticed, you two do look alike."

"Aww don't you want Layla telling us embarrassing stories from your childhood? I bet there are some good ones," Big E grinned at Nick before winking at Layla. "Though I don't think there's a lot that could shock us, well not AJ and I after all the travelling we did together."

AJ smiled, "Remember that time in Indiana after the house show when-"

Nick cut her off. "We don't talk about that night, remember the deal we made?"

AJ pouted, "Fine." Celeste, Punk and Kofi were sad they were not about to hear an embarrassing story about Nick.

Phil gently poked AJ's side, "I'll tell you later," she whispered when no one was looking.

Nick turned to Layla, "So I guess now's the perfect time to introduce you to my friends. Layla, this is AJ, Celeste, Kofi, Phil and Ettore but we all call him Big E or E." Nick pointed to each of them as he introduced his sister to his closest friends on the roster, each of them giving Layla a welcoming smile.

"So you're one of the new hairstylists, right?" Celeste asked, remembering seeing her around a few times and she was pretty sure Layla had done her hair a couple of times.

"Yeah, that's me. I'll be completely taking over from Chloe when she goes on maternity leave."

Nick and Layla sat with the others for another half an hour, though Layla didn't speak much, until Nick, Big E and the girls had to go work on their match for that Sunday at Summerslam. Layla headed back to the room she'd been given in the arena that night to do the diva's hair. She needed to start sorting through things before the divas came to her ready to have their hair done for that night's Raw.

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That evening in Nick's hotel room; he had a room which joined with Layla's, he sat on the bed with Layla who was watching TV. He doubted she was taking much of what was happening in though; instead he figured thoughts and memories of her past were probably running through her head. He noticed that was the case with her a lot, especially in the first few weeks after he got her away from Carter. She barely spoke back then, instead she would just be sat in the living room or garden staring at nothing in particular.

Nick had gone back on the road a few weeks before Layla joined him. He knew she needed to spend some time with the family but he couldn't help but worry about her when he was gone. When she did eventually join him on the road, he was glad to see his sister again. As much as the circumstances for his sister being a big part of his life again where some of the worse, he couldn't deny that he was happy to be spending so much time with his sister again. It was nice spending time with her again and occasionally, he was sure he saw the smallest glimpses of the old Layla, the odd joke she would make or the times she laughed at something he said or did. Then as quickly as he saw it, she'd go back to her quiet reserved self, unsure of herself.

"Lay, you ok? You were pretty quiet earlier with the guys." He averted his eyes from the show they were watching to look at his sister, noticing how she kept her eyes on the TV trying to concentrate on the show.

"Fine, Nick. You need to stop worrying about me and concentrate on getting ready for Sunday. Go do your hair or something." She finally turned to face Nick, grinning; another one of those small glimpses as she joked about his hair.

"Firstly, I'm your big brother; it's my job to worry about you, especially after everything that happened. Secondly, don't joke about the hair, this is perfection." He pointed to his hair. He noticed straightaway the smile fade from her face at the mention of her past.

"I'm sorry, Lay. I didn't mean to upset you."

Moving across the bed so she was kneeling next to her brother, Layla wrapped her arms around his neck, "Don't apologise Nick, you have nothing to be sorry for. It's just going to take me a while to deal with things but being with you helps. I missed you. The one thing I regret is pushing you away."

Wrapping his arms around her and placing a kiss on top of her head, Nick took a moment before saying anything. It was also hard for him coming to terms with what had happened to his sister and he was still blaming himself for not doing enough, not noticing what was happening; being unable to protect his younger sister was something he would always regret. He made a vow to himself after that day that he was never going to let someone hurt her again.

"Layla, babygirl, you know I'm always going to be here for you and I promise to never let another person hurt you. I just want to help you now and take the pain away." Nick pulled her closer to him as he heard her start to cry. He wasn't sure how long she sat there crying into his chest before he realised she's cried herself to sleep.

Nick leaned back against the headboard with Layla's head resting on his chest He just sat there stroking her hair letting her sleep; he hoped she'd have a peaceful night's sleep. He knew she hadn't been getting a lot of sleep lately; plagued with nightmares of her past, waking up terrified, so sure that Carter was actually there.

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After the drive to the next city, Layla was glad when they finally reached the hotel. Dropping her bags on the floor she drooped down onto the bed. It was five in the morning, most people were still sleeping while they had only just arrived. They would have left the arena earlier after the recording of Smackdown but Nick had had a dark match so they didn't get to leave the arena until gone one. The only thing that sounded good to her at that point was getting out of the clothes she had been wearing since yesterday and having a shower. It got hot being around all the curling tongues and hair straighteners that were constantly on as she styled diva after diva's hair.

Nick walked over to the bed, smiling down at Layla. "I'm going to head down to the hotel's gym. You going to be ok on your own?"

"Yeah I'll be fine, you go. I'm going to have a shower."

Climbing into the shower Layla relaxed under the jets just standing there for a while before grabbing the shower gel and slathering it over her body. As her right hand hit a dent near the top of her thigh silent tears cascaded down her face as the memory of how she got the deep scars that adorned a small patch of her skin on her thigh hit her hard. She slid down the wall of the shower, her knees going to her chest and her arms around them as she sat on the floor of the shower sobbing as the hot water cascaded over her.

She'd never forget that day; the day when Carter took the abuse and his control over her to a new level. After getting back from work one day, Carter had pounced on her the moment she stepped through the door. He wanted sex, he always did. Layla didn't, she was still sore from how rough he had been with her that morning. But in her quest to keep him happy and scared of how he would react if she said no, Layla gave in. It was what he did after the sex though that she would never forget, nor would the scars let her. As she laid in bed Carter told her about how he wanted to make sure she knew she belonged to him and would never leave him; he wanted to 'mark his property' as he put it. Before Layla knew what was happening he had a penknife in his hand and he was holding her down as he cut three 'x's' into the skin on the side of her thigh near the top. Telling her that no other guy would want her now, she was marked and worthless and he was the only person who would ever want her. X marked the spot, his treasure.

Layla didn't have many physical scars from Carter. There was the ones on her thigh and one under the top of her left arm she got after he broke their glass coffee table and pushed her onto the floor where she sliced her arm open on the glass. Carter knew where to hit her so the bruises wouldn't be visible for everyone to see and on the occasions when he gave her a black eye or split lip he made her call in sick. He was clever that way, no one suspected a thing. To the outside world they were a young happy couple.

After getting out of the shower and drying herself off, Layla got dressed; black skinny jeans and a long-sleeved light blue top. She was still in the mind set of covering up, Carter hated her showing too much flesh off, and she also didn't want people to see her scars. Not even Nick knew about them. How could she show her brother where her ex had marked her as his property?


	3. The Biggest Party Of The Year

Thank you so much for the lovely reviews I've had so far for this story, it means a lot :) This chapter is pretty long. I was going to cut it into two separate chapters but I think it flows so much better as one. Enjoy :)

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Layla woke up stretching out in the double bed, looking at her phone she was surprised to see it was just after nine. She had crashed out as soon as they got to the hotel the night before and was surprised she had actually slept for eight hours straight, she couldn't remember the last time she had slept for that long. She normally woke up in the night from nightmares or couldn't sleep in general; so many thoughts would run through her head when she would just lay there at night. Concealer had been her biggest friend for the past few months. Next to her phone she noticed a piece of paper, picking it up she saw it was a note from Nick telling her he was at the gym.

As she lay there she remembered it was Sunday, Summerslam was that night. It was going to be another long day for her, pay-per-views always were; everything had to be perfect and with Chloe Seven and a half months pregnant and about to go on maternity leave, Layla was pretty much doing everyone's hair. With it being Summerslam and all the superstars that took part in Summerslam AXXESS, she'd been busy.

Sitting in catering, Nick sat talking to Big E, after talking about some of the matches that would be taking place that night talk turned to the after party. Big E was especially excited about it, he was always up for a laugh.

"Yo, you're still coming to the party tonight, right?"

"Not sure yet."

"You're killing me here man," Big E shook his head. "You're always up for a party. Bring Layla too." Big E stood up from the table. "I'm gonna go find AJ, catch you later bro."

Nick nodded. Walking away from the table Big E spotted Layla walking in.

"Hey, go tell your brother he has to come to the party tonight. You too," he smiled at her as he walked away. Layla looked confused, having no idea what he was on about.

Grabbing a chicken salad sandwich and a bottle of water, Layla made her way to the table that Nick sat at.

"Big E just said something about getting you to go to some party tonight. I don't know what he's on about but you should go, have fun. You deserve it."

"Ignore him, it's only the Summerslam after party, I'm not too fused about it." Nick nonchalantly replied before taking another bite of his apple.

"Nick you can't babysit me forever, you need to live your life. Starting with this party."

"Okay, okay." He held his hands up. "I'll go. You don't have to, obviously, it's your choice, but how about you come with me?"

The idea of going to the party with everybody there terrified Layla, but she knew that as much as he denied it, Nick wanted to go. She felt so guilty with how much he had put his life on hold because of her. She wanted to do something for him. So, as much as the thought of going scared her, she would do it for Nick.

"O-okay," she hesitantly replied, forcing a smile.

Nick could hear the hesitancy in her voice. It was a dumb idea of his. "You don't have to Lay."

"I want to."

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Staring at herself in the mirror, Layla took a few deep breathes. She could do this. It was just a party; people went to them all the time. Hell, she used to go to parties. She didn't have to stay for long, just long enough to see that Nick was having a good time and then she could leave. It's not like anyone would notice her gone, she thought to herself, she wasn't exactly the most sociable person at WWE.

She looked at herself one more time in the mirror, she was pretty sure what she was wearing would be ok. She'd put on some light blue skinny jeans, a white form fitting long sleeved t-shirt with a light grey fitted blazer and a pair of black wedges. She wore her long blonde hair loose and she finished the look with a little mascara and some red lipstick.

Walking out of the hotel bathroom she saw Nick sitting on the bed. Hearing the door open, he looked up at her, a smile on her face.

"You look beautiful, you ready to go?" She gave him a small smile and nodded.

The whole ride to the place where the party was being held, Layla wanted to run back to the hotel room, this was a bad idea. No, she told herself, she could and would do this; she had to, for Nick and for herself. As the taxi pulled up to the place Layla took a moment to compose herself.

Getting out of the taxi, Nick wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into his side kissing the side of her head. He was so proud of her, he could only imagine how hard it was for her, but here she was facing her fears.

Walking in the first person Nick saw was Big E, who also spotted Nick and Layla and made his way over to them.

"Nick, bro, you're here." Big E and Nick did the whole man hug thing before Big E turned to Layla. "Layla you look gorgeous, so glad you came. Come here." Layla didn't have time to say anything as he suddenly engulfed her in a big, friendly hug. Her whole body tensed as she just stood there, arms by her side.

Nick, though he knew Big E was harmless, automatically saw how uncomfortable Layla looked. He placed a hand on Big E's back. "Time to get some drinks, E. Are the girls here yet?"

Big E turned around so he was facing Nick, who was giving Layla an encouraging smile. "Now you're talking. Yeah, they're sat in one of the booths."

The three of them soon found AJ and Celeste, Layla sitting with them while Big E and Nick went to get some drinks. Layla felt a little more comfortable with the girls. Since Nick had introduced her to them, they had been friendly with her and she found herself doing AJ's hair at all the house shows before Summerslam and during AXXESS.

"It's really good to see you here, Layla. We weren't sure if you and Nick were going to come. I'm glad you did though, it's nice to have another girl around." Kaitlyn smiled at her.

"Yeah, it's nice seeing you out." AJ smiled at Layla who sat across the table from the two divas.

"So what was Nick like as a kid?" Ever since Kaitlyn and AJ had found out about Layla they couldn't wait to hear about Nick when he was younger, they hoped there was plenty of stories they could tease him about.

"Um, pretty much as he is now just not so blond. He's always wanted to be a wrestler."

"So how many years are there between you two?"

"Eleven, I was kinda a surprise baby."

Walking over to where the girls were, Nick couldn't help but smile as he saw his sister talking with AJ and Celeste. He was already such good friends with the girls and he hoped his sister would be too, he thought they would be good for Layla since they were both such nice people. Celeste had always reminded him of Layla before Carter, always laughing and joking around with a wicked sense of humour.

Layla as having a good time, she felt relaxed with Nick, Big E, AJ and Celeste. She could see why Nick was friends with them, the jokes never seemed to end when they were all together. The best part for her was just seeing her brother having so much fun. She was perfectly happy to just sit there and let them all talk, joining in herself occasionally. She didn't feel any pressure and she knew everything would be ok because Nick was there.

When they guys decided they all wanted to dance, Layla declined, though insisted Nick go dance when he tried to stay with her. She stayed in the booth, not long later Punk joined her. He didn't drink and he wasn't much of a dancer, so after Nick had asked him if he would keep an eye on Layla he was more than happy to as it got him away from AJ and Celeste who had been trying their hardest to get him to dance. Punk had noticed how protective Nick was of Layla as well as how quiet Layla was, he figured there was a reason for that but he wasn't the prying type. It was none of his business. Layla spoke to Punk a little bit, she didn't want to appear rude, but being around any guy that wasn't Nick still made her nervous. She thought that Punk seemed nice enough though, and she knew how much her brother looked up to him.

Her night quickly went downhill though when a drunk Randy joined her in the booth and tried it on with Layla after Punk went to get another Pepsi. Sitting down next to her, his index finger stroking up and down her upper arm. Layla moved further up the booth trying to get away from him, utterly terrified.

"Well aren't you a pretty little thing."

His hand moved to her thigh, "You don't speak much do you? That's ok," he leered at her.

Tears where forming in Layla's eyes as she sat frozen in her seat. She felt completely hopeless and scared again, like with Carter. She didn't know what to do. Randy was so much bigger and stronger than her and no one was near them. She wanted to shout for Nick but it was as if her vocal cords had forgotten there purpose. Then a large tattooed hand was on Randy's shoulder literally yanking him up from the seat.

"Get the fuck away from her Orton, she obviously doesn't want you near her." Walking back with his drink, Punk had seen Randy sat extremely close to Layla and how uncomfortable she looked as she tried moving away him. If there was one thing that Punk hated it was men that were violent towards women or, like Randy that night, men that wouldn't take no for an answer.

Randy was unsteady on his feet as he turned to see Punk glaring at him. "Piss off," he went to sit back down but Punk didn't let him.

"Get the fuck out of here before I beat the crap out of you, you little piece of shit."

Randy just laughed, then before he knew it his ass hit the floor after Punk's fist had connected with his jaw. The whole scene had now caught other people's attention. Hearing the commotion, Nick had come around the corner to find Randy sat on the floor holding his jaw and Layla sat in her seat, tears streaming down her face. In that moment he just knew that whatever had happened to make Punk hit Randy had something to do with Layla.

Seeing Nick rushing towards her, Layla jumped up from her seat and flung herself at him, crying into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Oh god, what happened? Did he hurt you, Lay?" Nick looked at Punk, Layla was sobbing too much to answer him. He was going to kill Randy.

Punk moved closer to Nick, he felt a little bad himself. Though it wasn't his fault and he couldn't have predicted that as he went to get himself another Pepsi, seeing how upset Layla was now and how scared she had looked, made him feel bad.

"I went to get another Pepsi and when I got back Randy was sat next to her, trying it on. I dragged him off her, he was a little prick so," Punk gestured to where Randy was still on the floor holding his jaw.

Hearing what Punk told him, Nick was furious. He had never particularly liked Randy, now he despised him. Right now looking after Layla and getting her back to the hotel was his main concern, but he was going to wipe that smug smile of Randy's face next time he saw him. He was just grateful Punk had been there.

"Thanks, Phil," he smiled at his friend.

"Is your sister going to be okay?"

Nick nodded, "Yeah, thanks again. I'm going to take her back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel, Nick had calmed Layla down. Now she lay on the bed with him as he stroked her hair. He was so pissed off after Layla told him everything that had happened with Randy. It completely broke his heart when she then started apologising for ruining his night and saying she should have tried harder to get Randy away from her. Nick felt guilty, Layla's first night out after everything she went through with Carter and someone he worked with had acted that way with her. From what she told him and what Punk had said back at the place, he didn't want to think about what would have happened if Punk hadn't have been there. Once more he felt like he had failed Layla. She was his sister, he was supposed to be looking after her and yet he had gone off to dance with his friends leaving her.

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Two weeks after the incident at the party, Layla was still freaked out. The feeling of hopelessness, how she'd felt when she was with Carter, returned. The first time she had seen Randy at the arena after terrified her. The same day, when Celeste and AJ had hugged her at the arena after finding out what had happened, she had flinched so badly. She had however thanked Punk the next time she saw him. Big E, like Nick, was also pissed off when he found out what had happened. Layla, from what he had seen, was such a sweet and quiet person, not to mention his best friends sister, no one, not even someone like Randy, got away with doing that to her. He had been there when Nick had finally got his hands on Randy, hitting him so hard he knocked him out.

Layla walked into the arena, walking down to the ring where she saw Nick going over some moves in the ring with a man she didn't recognise until she got closer; there she saw it was Dean Ambrose. Though she had yet to meet him in person she recognised him from TV. Nick had also told her about the storyline he was about to start with Dean, going for his US title. By the barrier she saw two other guys, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns; Seth she saw was doing burpees while Roman was on his phone, a smile on his face.

As she got right down to the ring, Nick had yet to notice her, him and Dean too into what they were doing. Not wanting to interrupt them, and always a fan of watching her brother do what he loved, she stood to the side watching. Seth however, did notice her.

He walked the few feet to where she stood a warm smile on his face. "Hi, you okay there? Are you waiting on one of them?" He pointed to Nick and Dean in the ring.

Layla jumped as Seth spoke to her, his sudden closeness to her catching her by surprise. "Hi, um, I was just waiting on Nick."

Seth noticed how she jumped when he spoke to her, he wondered what that was about, but he didn't know this woman and it was none of his business. He smiled at her again.

Nick now noticed his sister standing there with Seth, signalling he was done to Dean he climbed out of the ring. "Hey Layla, have you been here long?"

Layla smiled at Nick as he came over to her, Seth seemed like a nice person but Nick was the only person on the road she trusted, even more after the whole thing with Randy. She had made a few friends in AJ, Celeste, Big E, Punk and a make- up artists backstage, but she only really felt comfortable when Nick was around. She didn't really speak much, the guys put it down to the incident with Randy and so didn't push her into anything.

"Not really, only a few minutes. I just wanted to see if you wanted to get some food."

"Yeah, sounds good. I see you've met Colby," he gestured to Colby who was still stood there and smiled once more. Layla simply nodded.

Dean who had been sitting on the apron drinking a bottle of water now came over to where the three stood, interested in the pretty blonde he saw.

"Hi, I'm Jon. I don't think we've been introduced yet." He smiled at Layla, beads of sweat still covering his forehead after his ring workout with Nick, wayward dishwasher blond hair sticking to his forehead.

Layla couldn't help but stare into his eyes, they were so blue and intense you could easily get lost in them; she also noticed his silky gravelly voice as he introduced himself. "I'm Layla, Nick's sister."

Nick could tell Layla was nervous as she began fiddling with her hands, he moved closer to her wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his side; he really was the only person Layla didn't mind touching her.

"Layla is one of the new hair stylists for WWE. Maybe she can sort out that blond in your hair, Seth ya skunk."

"You can talk Mr Peroxide blond," Seth retorted, grinning. "Nah, we all know it is Joe's hair every woman wants to touch."

Layla was glad the attention was off her as the guys traded witty remarks about each-others hair, she didn't like it when the focus was on her preferring to remain in the background.

"What's Joe up to anyway?" Jon enquired turning around to where Joe was still leaning against the barrier further up from them totally engrossed in his phone. "Yo Joe, get your ass of your phone and come over here," he called over to his friend.

Joe looked up from his phone briefly noticing Layla for the first time as he made his way over to them.

"Yeah bro, I'm here now quit your hollering. I was texting Jessie; she was sending me some pics of Talia."

"This is Layla, Nick's sister and new hair stylist for WWE," Seth gestured to Layla.

"Good to meet you, I'm Joe." the Samoan smiled warmly at her holding out a hand.

Layla slightly backed away from him without even realising as she took in the size of him. Sure she was use to large, muscly men what with having two brothers that were wrestlers and all the wrestlers she saw working for the WWE but Joe was huge and after everything that had happened she found him pretty intimidating. She found a lot of people intimidating now. He towered over her 5'6 small frame at 6'3 not to mention the size of his biceps; standing in close proximity to him she saw just why he was called the powerhouse of The Shield.

"H-hi," she stammered out.

This made Jon chuckle. "No need to be afraid, Princess. He's a massive teddy bear really, one big softie," he smiled at her as he patted Joe's shoulder.

"Right, let's go get some lunch. See you later guys."

"Catch ya later, Nemeath, lovely to meet you Layla. I'm sure I'll be seeing more of you now I'm working with Nick for a bit." Jon smiled at Layla before she turned and walked away with Nick.


	4. Little Walks

Thanks for all the lovely reviews ans everyone following this story, you awesome people :) So you guys seemed to really like her first meeting with Dean, there's some more interaction between them in this chapter. Enjoy :)

* * *

Layla sat waiting for Nick, watching everything going on around her as she waited. Raw had finished and now she was waiting on Nick, she had already packed up everything she used doing the divas hair. For the most part she watched as the crew packed everything up ready to move on to the next city. It always amazed her just how much went into setting everything up and then taking everything down. Apart from the crew, it was pretty empty now apart from a few wrestlers who were signing some last minute autographs. Looking around more she saw Jon talking to a tall brunette who had her hand on his chest. She hadn't really seen him since first meeting him a few days ago. It didn't really surprise her now the woman with him, she remembered back to when she used to go watch Nick's matches, all the times the wrestlers would hook up with random fans. Before she could even look away, Jon lifted his head up, his eyes connecting with hers, a smile on his face when he saw Layla looking at him. Then his attention was back on the brunette, from the smirk that formed on Jon's face, Layla had a pretty good idea of the sort of thing the brunette had said to him.

"Sorry I took so long. You ready to go?" Nick's sudden appearance surprised Layla making her jump, she hadn't even noticed him heading her way.

"Yep. Where we headed to next?" Layla asked as they started walking to the exit.

"Orlando for Smackdown and then we get two days off. So anything you wanna do on the days off?"

After the filming of Smackdown Nick and Layla headed back to his place in Phoenix, Layla found living with him easier. Not that they were ever really home, but the time they did have off she preferred staying with him. She loved her parents but since finding out about what happened with Carter they had become too overbearing, trying to wrap her in cotton wool. Layla knew they were only trying to help and that they still felt immensely guilty but she was starting to feel suffocated. All she wanted to do was move on with her life, slowly she was coming to terms with things and Nick was amazing, she needed to be out trying to live her life not being wrapped in cotton wool at home.

"Have you thought anymore about going to the police?" Nick sat on the couch next to Layla who was watching TV.

"I'm hungry. Are you hungry? I'm going to make some food." Layla stood up from the couch and headed for the kitchen. This was not a conversation she wanted to have.

Nick put a gentle hand on her upper arm as Layla stood in the kitchen. "Lay," his voice was soft.

"I'm really hungry. What do you fancy? Is a sandwich okay for you?"

"Layla stop changing the subject. I know this is hard for you and you don't want to talk about it but-"

"No you don't. You have no idea what it's like so back off!"

Layla slid down the counter onto the floor, her knees coming up to her chest. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean that." She looked up at Nick, tears in her eyes as he sat down next to her pulling her into his side.

"I know, Lay. I know you're scared but you can't let Carter get away with what he did."

Layla's voice was cracking, "I can't go to the police Nick. I can't."

"I'll be there with you. We'll do it together."

"You don't get it. I can't sit there and tell them everything he did to me whilst they sit there with pitying looks on their faces. What if they don't believe me anyway?"

"No one pities you and no one is going to think you're lying."

"I just want this to be over with. I want the nightmares to stop; I want to stop being scared of everything. I want to be happy again."

Layla's words broke Nick's heart. "They will one day. Everything is going to be ok, I promise. Have you ever thought about talking to someone, a professional? It might be good for you."

"And tell them what? Tell them how sometimes I felt so worthless as he beat me that I wished I was dead, then there would be no more pain or fear. Tell them how small and pathetic he made me feel." Tears fell down Nick's face at his sister's words.

"Lay, did he ever force you to do anything you didn't want you to do?" He felt sick as the words left his mouth, even more when he knew before she answered what her answer would be.

More tears cascaded down her face, she couldn't look at Nick. She knew exactly what he meant "Y-Yes," she hugged her knees closer to her body. Pulling her body closer to his, her body shaking as she cried, Nick was seriously reconsidering his choice not to put Carter into a coma. He wanted to hurt the guy so much.

The more he found out about what Carter put Layla through, the more his heart broke at how scared she must have been; the fear she must have felt. As sickening as it was to hear and as hard as it was for Layla to talk about, Nick knew he had a better chance of helping her through this and helping her rebuild her life if he knew what Carter had done to her. He knew it wasn't good for her to keep it bottled up, and while he knew it would be good to speak to a professional, someone trained to deal with this, he knew how hard Layla was finding it to talk to people and trust them. Nick was the only person she was opening up to right now, so he would have to be the one there for her.

With the next question he asked, something that kept niggling at him, he knew that depending on her answer there was a massive chance he was going to set the Big Show and Kane on Carter. He was already considering it with what she had just told him. "Layla, sweetheart, I know a big reason for it is because of how controlling he was. But is there another reason you always completely cover up, even when it's really hot? Did Carter ever leave any permanent marks?"

He was praying to god that she said no and he was just overthinking things. When she looked up at him however the look on her face told him everything he needed to know. So much anger was coursing through him right now, he had no idea how he was still sitting there and not killing this guy.

Later that night lying in bed Nick couldn't sleep, everything Layla had told him was going around in circles in his head. The scars she had shown him was all he saw when he closed his eyes. It was the one at the top of her thigh that really got to him, the two inch scar on her upper arm could only really be seen if she lifted her arm up and even then it was the sort of scar that could easily be passed off as some childhood accident. The ones on her thigh were a whole other story.

* * *

Layla sat at the table eating her food, she'd chosen a time when she knew catering would be relatively quiet. She missed not having Nick there to talk to since he was doing the house shows in different cities to the ones she was in, AJ and Celeste finding her earlier that night and talking to them for a bit had been nice though. She liked the two girls and was finding it easier to talk to them. On the two days she had just had off with Nick, after opening up to him about the scars, Layla had told him how she wanted to be more assertive. She wanted to try and make more friends and not always clam up, she was taking things slowly but even just agreeing to a movie night with AJ and Celeste felt like a positive step forward for her.

"Hey, is it alright if I sit here?"

Layla looked up to see Joe standing by her table, smiling. She still felt bad about how she had reacted when she first met him. From what Nick had told her and what she had seen herself, he seemed like one of the nicest guys at WWE. Still determined to make progress and move on with her life, Layla saw this as an opportunity. She wasn't going to spend her life being scared and hiding away from people, she was going to make small steps in moving forward and making new friends; starting with Joe.

She returned his smile, "Sure, go for it." Once he sat down she looked at him again, chewing her bottom lip. "I'm sorry about before."

"It's fine, long forgotten about," Joe smiled at her. After hearing about what had happened with Randy, he wasn't surprised Layla had been so freaked out. Joe, like many others, was shocked to hear about the incident. Joe had been brought up to respect women never in a million years would he treat them like Randy had treated Layla.

Layla eyed the food on Joe's plate, there was a LOT. "Someone's hungry, and I thought Nick ate a lot of food."

Joe chuckled glad that Layla seemed a little more relaxed around him. "Yeah, didn't have a lot of time to eat earlier."

Layla and Joe sat speaking a little more, though Joe did most of the talking. Then Joe saw how Layla's whole body stiffened and how she pulled the sweater she was wearing around her tighter. Craning his neck to see what she was looking at, he saw that Randy had walked in.

"Hey, it's okay. He's not going to come anywhere near you." Joe tried to relax her knowing that Randy wouldn't do or say anything with him there, he wasn't that stupid.

"I-I-I have to g-go," Layla was already out of her seat.

"Do you want me to walk you back?"

Layla shook her head, she just needed to get out of catering and she would be ok. She turned around to leave and in her haste she bumped right into someone, the force nearly knocking her over. Luckily an arm reached out placing a strong hand on the middle of her back, the touch that pulled her closer and steadied her gentle.

She looked up into piercing blue eyes, quickly moving away so he was no longer touching her. "I-I'm sorry. That was my fault. I should have w-watched where I was going. I-I need to go."

Jon smiled down at her, "You okay Princess? It's no one's fault, happens all the time." Jon noticed how quickly she moved away from his touch, as well as how flustered she seemed. He wondered why she was in such a rush to get out of there in the first place, then looking around he soon spotted Randy.

Joe saw that Randy was heading to a table near them, along with Curtis Axel. "Jon, why don't you walk Layla back? Make sure she's ok."

"N-no, you don't need to do that. I'm fine." Layla started walking towards the door before either Jon or Joe had a chance to say anything. Jon and Joe looked at each other before Jon turned around and started walking the same way Layla had gone. He wanted to make sure she was ok.

It didn't take Jon long to catch up with Layla as she walked out of catering. Layla could her someone walking behind her, craning her neck she saw it was Jon. "Honestly, I'm fine. You don't have to come with me."

Jon grinned at her, "I'm not. I just happen to be walking the same way and in a few minutes I'm going to head back to catering. Sometimes I like to have little walks around the arena."

This made Layla laugh, "Sounds kinda relaxing."

Jon was now stood by her side, glad he had managed to make her smile. "It is, Princess."

"Well this is me. Thank you Jon," she turned and smiled at him standing in front of the door to the room she was in that night.

"Anytime, Princess," he smiled before turning around and heading back to catering.


	5. Bonding

Thank you to everyone following, favouriting and reviewing this story :) **Disclaimer**: Sadly I don't own WWE or anyone in it :( Only Layla, Carter and any other oc's that may pop up in this story.

With that out the way, enjoy :)

* * *

Nick yawned, stretching as he walked into the sitting area of the two room suite he and Layla had. He wasn't particularly surprised to see she was already up and eating breakfast.

Sitting down on the couch next to her, he took a blueberry of the plate of pancakes with blueberries she was eating.

"Hey, get your own." She moved her plate away from him, she loved and did not share pancakes, glaringly at him in a jokey manner.

Nick pouted at her, "Sharing is caring."

Layla giggled. "Not when it comes to pancakes. And you did not just use that line on me. How old are you?"

Nick feigned a sad face. "It's a sad day when your own sister doesn't know how old you are."

This made Layla laugh again; making Nick happy to see his sister enjoying herself and laughing. "Of course I know how old you are, you're five." Layla teased him, a cheeky grin on her face.

Nick arched a brow at her, but couldn't suppress his laugh any longer when she started pulling funny faces at him. He also took this opportunity to steal more of her breakfast.

"Hey, get your own pancakes." Layla moved the plate further away from Nick as she moved down the couch.

"I will once I've been to the gym."

"Hey Nick," Layla put her plate on the table for a moment, turning to look at her brother.

"Yeah?"

Layla bit down on her bottom lip as she prepared to ask her brother something she had been thinking about for a few weeks. "I was wondering, and you can say no, if maybe I could join you at the gym sometimes? I've been thinking about it for a while, setting myself a goal. I want to tone up a little, get fitter, as well having somewhere to go to take my mind of things. But I've never been a gym person, not like you and Matt, I don't trust anyone else to show me how to use the equipment." Layla realised she was rambling a little but she couldn't help it.

Nick smiled warmly at her. "Course I'll show you how the equipment works and you can come with me anytime you want." Nick knew why she wanted it to be him to show her how to use the gym equipment; she was still uncomfortable when people touched her.

"Don't laugh when I suck at it though and die after like twenty minutes on the treadmill."

"I'll try not to," he winked at her before kissing the top of her head and leaving to get changed. He wanted to get a good work out in that morning before heading to the arena for that night's pay-per-view- Night of Champions- in which he had a match against Jon.

* * *

Layla sat in catering with AJ, Celeste and Phil, Nick was with Jon going over the match they had that night. She liked them but was still pretty quiet around the three of them, but with Nick going over his match with Jon there was no one else there she felt comfortable enough around to hang out with.

"Hey Lay, so I've been thinking of dying my hair for a while. I feel like a change. Will you do it for me?" Celeste smiled at Layla who sat opposite her.

"Sure. What colour are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking all brunette, I'm getting bored of the blonde bits in my hair."

"Well ladies as fascinating as this hair talk is I have to go find Paul and Curtis and go through our match tonight." He kissed AJ's cheek before leaving. Though Layla didn't spend all her time with the girls she had noticed how close AJ and Phil were, so it was no surprise when they recently got together.

"Aww I still can't get over how cute you guys are," Celeste grinned at AJ.

AJ smiled back before looking at Layla, "So since you started working here has anyone caught your eye?"

Layla wasn't expecting that, suddenly feeling really nervous and on the spot. A relationship was the last thing on her mind right now. After Carter, she wasn't sure if she ever wanted to be in another relationship again. She could barely trust anyone to form a friendship with them, let alone trust someone enough to be in a relationship with them. To trust someone not to hurt her the way Carter had, breaking her. Then she started to feel stupid about getting so worked up over a simple question. This is what friends talked about, laughing and joking with each other. Why couldn't she just relax?

She shook her head, flustered. "Umm, no. I'm erm not looking."

"Yeah and with Nick around, that can't make it easy with him being all protective."

Layla just nodded. If only the girls knew just how protective Nick was over his baby sister and why. But they wouldn't ever find out, Layla didn't want anybody here finding out her secret. She had never been so happy when Trinity came along wanting to talk to AJ about the fatal four way match they had that night with Natalya and Brie.

After AJ said bye to them and went off with Naomi to find the other two, it wasn't long until Layla decided it was time to head back to the room she was stationed in that night to do people's hair. Before she left though she grabbed another bottle of water to take with her.

Heading back to the room she was set up in for the night to do the Diva's hair Layla's mind was still on the conversation about whether anyone had caught her eye. The conversation had brought back memories of all the times Carter had told her she disgusting and no one else would want her. As she got closer to the room she struggled to get the keys out of her jean pocket for the room as she tried to balance the water bottle, her phone and purse she had in her small hands. She eventually lost the battle as the bottle slipped from its place between her arm and chest rolling along the floor.

Layla decided it was best to just place the rest of the items in her hands on the floor next to the door before going to pick up the water bottle. After leaning down to place the items on the floor, Layla was surprised to see Jon stood there, a foot placed on the bottle to stop it going anywhere before he picked it up.

"Forget something, Princess?" he smiled at her, holding out the bottle of water to her.

Layla reached out for it. "Thank you."

"So are you going to cheer for me tonight?" Jon smirked at her, knowing full well her answer.

Layla shook her head, "No, you're against my brother."

"You're breaking my heart, princess." Jon held a hand to his chest making Layla laugh.

"Dude, you need to have a heat in the first for that to be possible." Colby grinned as he patted Jon's back.

"I have a heart, Lopez."

"You keep telling yourself that. Poor guy is so delusional. It's sad really." Colby grinned at Layla.

"What's sad?" Nick asked, announcing his arrival as he stood next to Layla wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"You, after I beat you tonight. You sure you don't want to cheer for me, princess?" Jon smirked at Nick before looking at Layla.

"We all know Colby's the cheerleader in The Shield, you don't need anybody else." Nick smirked at Colby who flipped him off. Jon chuckled.

"Have you had one too many hits to the head and forgotten that you used to be a cheerleader, Nemeth?" Now it was Colby smirking as he reminded Nick of his days in the Spirit Squad.

"I'm a diverse man. Tell you what, Lopez. You can borrow my old outfit if you want." Jon burst out laughing at this.

Colby turned to him. "Really dude? Thanks for the back up."

"Alright children, Layla, what have I missed this time?" Joe asked, standing the other side of Colby. He had quickly gotten used to the constant bickering and teasing between Jon and Colby.

"Nick called Colby a cheerleader." Jon grinned.

Joe raised a hand, "I don't want to know."

Before anyone else had a chance to say anything, Summer Rae had joined them, smiling at Layla.

"Hey Layla, are you free to do my hair? I can come back later if you're busy."

"Yeah, course I am. Come on in. I'll see you later Nick, good luck."

* * *

Jon sat at his table, not paying a single bit of attention to the blonde sat next to him and whatever she was saying as her hands caressed his thigh. No, his attention was on another blonde in the bar, Layla and had been all night as she sat at a table with Nick and Big E. Some of them had decided to go to a bar after the pay-per-view, Joe and Colby hadn't stayed long at the bar.

There was something about her, something that interested him. Sure he thought she was good looking with her long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, he thought a lot of people were good looking, but there was something else about her that captivated him. She intrigued him; he wanted to know more about her. Maybe it was the was the way she was so quiet the majority of the time, yet the moment she smiled, which he noticed wasn't a lot, she had one of those smiles that would light a whole room up. It made him want to see her smile more, and so he found himself saying stuff that made her laugh or smile when he was around her.

As he took another sip of his beer, his eyes never leaving her, he couldn't help smiling, as he saw her laughing at something Nick said. The blonde next to him thought his smile was due to her hands moving further up his body, her lips finding his neck. He quickly stood up, the woman looking at him surprised.

"I gotta go," he didn't even look at her as he picked up his leather jacket and walked away. He needed a cigarette.

As he walked to the door, passing the table Layla sat at, he heard her talking about leaving. Nick saying he'd leave too but Layla told him to stay. Before he knew what he was doing, Jon was offering to walk her back to the hotel.

"I'll walk you back, Princess. I was on my way there anyway." Layla looked up at him surprised.

It was Nick who spoke first. "You sure, Jon? Is that ok with you Lay?"

Jon smiled, "I'm heading the same way, makes sense. What do you say, Layla?" He smiled at her.

Layla didn't mind Jon, he was nice and she felt relatively comfortable around him. Though she did wonder why he always called her 'princess'?

She simply nodded her head and offered him a small smile before turning back to Nick to say bye, wrapping her arms around his neck to hug him. "E, make sure he has fun." Big E nodded at her.

Getting up from her seat she smiled at Nick and Big E one last time before following Jon out of the bar. As they walked out, the cool night air hit Layla. Jon noticed how she pulled the Zip up hoodie she wearing closer to her, wrapping her arms around herself.

Taking his black leather jacket off he gently placed it around her shoulders, making Layla flinch at the sudden contact. "Here, take my jacket Princess."

Layla tried giving it back to him but he insisted she have it. She was a lot smaller than him and he could see she was clearly colder than him. "I'm fine, you have it,"

"Only if you're sure," she looked at him trying to work out if he was cold too, unsure if she should wear his jacket.

They walked in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Layla turned her head slightly to look at him, "Well done on your win tonight."

He turned to her, a small smirk curving his lip, "So you were rooting for me, princess."

She shook her head, "No, but it was a good match."

Jon couldn't help but smile at how adorable she was as he teased her. "It'll be our secret, Princess. Your brother is one of the best at selling moves though, makes for a good match."

"Nick's always been good at that, even when he was part of the Spirit Squad."

Jon started laughing, "Yeah, I don't think anyone will ever let Nick forget his time as a cheerleader. Did you teach him a few moves?"

Layla didn't say anything but the look on her face told Jon everything. "Wait. No way, you actually taught him some stuff?" Jon chuckled. He was going to enjoy winding Nick up about this for a bit.

"I was a cheerleader in High School."

Jon smirked once again, "You can teach me a few moved if you want."

Layla couldn't look at him as a blush crept up her neck and face, Jon found it cute.

As they fell into another comfortable silence, it wasn't look before they reached the hotel.

* * *

Layla sat on one of the production crates out the back, taking a much needed break before she continued doing everyone's hair. During the house shows, when they split the talent so some performed in one city whilst the others were in another city, there was another stylist, Hannah, who would work one of the shows and Layla the other. But during Raw and Smackdown it was just Layla, who tended to be rushed off her feet making sure everybody was ready. Those times when she could take a break and get some fresh air tended to be glorious, away from all the chaos inside. Raw tended to be worse as it was live and not pre-recorded like Smackdown. Tonight she was more tired than usual having had little sleep due to being plagued by nightmares. By time it hit 5 am she gave up trying to sleep.

Closing her eyes and enjoying the peacefulness, Layla literally jumped back further on the crate, her eyes shooting open at the sudden loud noise of the door slamming shut.

"Whoa, sorry, didn't mean to scare you princess." Jon held up a hand, a sheepish look on his face.

Jon hopped up onto the crate next to her; he had on his Shield gear minus the tactical vest which was replaced with a black zip up hoodie. Normally Layla would have hated someone sitting so close to her but for some reason with Jon she didn't mind. Maybe it was his calm and laid back personality. Sure he was chaotic and erratic in the ring, but Layla had come to notice that outside the ring Jon was so much more chilled and relaxed.

When Jon had first arrived at WWE many people had mistaken his laid back personality and quietness as him being weird and unapproachable. In fact, it was the opposite. Jon was getting a feel for the place and the people, he had learnt a long time ago just how much you could learn about people by sitting back and watching them. And boy had he learnt a lot about people.

Except Layla. Normally he was good at reading people and figuring them out as he observed, yet with her he couldn't. She was different. He was observant enough to see how close she was to Nick, and if he didn't know Nick was her brother he would have been sure they were seeing each other. Her quietness and the way she acted after the whole Randy incident had him thinking something had happened in her life to make her shy away, apart from that he had nothing.

Some people you can just tell what they're thinking or planning, they were predicable. Like how you can normally tell what your best friend is about to say or how he could always tell what Joe or Colby were going to do in the ring before they did it. But not with Layla. She was a mystery.

"I'd probably hide out here too if everybody wanted me to do their hair."

This made Layla chuckle. "It's not that bad, I enjoy it. I just sometimes need to get fresh air with all the heat from the straighteners and curling tongs and hair spray."

"Nick must love having a hairdresser as a sister; the guy never leaves his hair alone."

Layla smiled, "Yeah, he's protective over his hair. Though his roots need sorting out and his hair needs a deep conditioning with how dry it is at the moment."

"You lost me after the first bit, princess. I'm a simple man when it comes to hair."

Layla couldn't help but giggle which made Jon smile. "You should keep your hair down when you're in the ring instead of having it all slicked back, it's nicer that way." Layla blushed when she realised what she had just said to him. Was she really giving Jon hair tips? She was also shocked at how, once again, she had fallen into an easy conversation with him. What was it about him that made her feel so comfortable, like she had known him for years?

"Is that your personal or professional opinion, princess?" Jon turned to look at her, noticing her blush.

Layla couldn't help but get lost in his hypnotic eyes, the way he looked at her it was as if he was looking right into her soul. Then she remembered he'd just asked her a question, it took her a moment to speak as she continued to look into those blue eyes of his a little longer.

Finally looking away, she jumped down from the crate figuring it was time to get back to work. "A bit of both," she finally, answered him before walking back inside.

As she walked down the corridor, she replayed the conversation in her head. Had she really just spoken so care free with Jon back there? When was the last time she did that with anyone other than Nick? There was just something about Jon that seemed to bring her out of her shell a little, she was relaxed around him.

When she got back to the room she was working from she saw AJ outside.

"Hey, there you are. I know you're really busy but have you got time to fix my hair? Nick and E thought it would be funny to mess it up." AJ pointed to her hair, rolling her eyes at Nick and Big E's antics.

Layla smiled, "Sure, it'll be fixed in no time."

"You're a life saver." AJ followed Layla into the room, sitting down on the chair in front of the large vanity mirror.

"So I know I'm not going out with the others tonight as I've got to be up ridiculously early for some interviews, but do you fancy getting some food tomorrow before Raw?" AJ smiled at Layla, watching her in the mirror as she fixed her hair, putting it in two pigtails once again.

"Yeah, that sounds nice." Layla liked AJ; she was comfortable around her and really enjoyed it when she and Celeste had invited her to one of their movie marathon nights. The other divas were still a bit too much for her; some seemed friendly enough but were too loud for Layla. She didn't feel entirely comfortable around them. A couple just didn't seem to like Layla and never seemed entirely happy with how she did their hair.

As she finished sorting out AJ's hair, Layla couldn't help but yawn, so tired after so little sleep. She couldn't wait for the night to be over.


	6. Family Time

**Cute little chapter for you guys :)**

* * *

Layla smiled as she watched Nick squat down to sign some autographs and take a picture with a couple of little excited fans in the airport. Since going on the road with him, she had gotten used to the regular occurrence of being stopped by fans. Nick was always good about it and would always stop and talk to them; he knew how important the fans were.

Standing to the side, Layla couldn't help but chuckle when she heard Nick ask the two young boys, who couldn't be older than ten, to show him their best Showoff poses. Her brother really was one of a kind.

As they walked out of the airport, they were heading to their parents' house for the day before they had to get back on the road, Layla turned and smiled at Nick. "That was really cute back there with the kids."

"I know, I really am perfect," Nick gave her one of his cheesy grins.

Layla started laughing, "And so modest."

Before Nick could say anything his phone starting ringing, pulling it out of his pocket he saw it was their mom.

"Hi mom, yeah we're leaving the airport now. Yeah, we'll be with you soon." Ending the call and putting his phone back in his pocket, Nick turned to Layla.

"So mom's a little excited about seeing us," Nick smiled at Layla.

"Better get going then."

* * *

Arriving at their parents' house, Layla and Nick were first met by their brother Ryan who first bumped with Nick and then picked Layla up, spinning her around in circles making her laugh.

"Finally you guys are here, now I can finaaally eat," Ryan elongated the word finally, always the dramatic one.

Nick grinned, "Oh I see, you're not actually exciting to see us you just want food."

"Basically, you know what mom's like, wanting us all to eat together."

Nick grinned looking over at Layla, "You know what I'm actually not that hungry at the moment. What about you, Lay?"

Layla pretended to think about it, "Yeah, I could probably go a few more hours before eating."

Nick and Layla both couldn't help burst out laughing at the traumatised look on their brother's face at the thought of having to wait a few more hours to eat. When Ryan realised they were just messing with him, he swatted Nick in the arm.

"You guys totally suck."

"Aww we love you too Ryan. Come on lets go in, can't stand out here the whole time." Layla smiled as she started to walk towards the front door.

* * *

After lunch, with Nick, Ryan and their dad out the back in the garden, Michelle took the chance to talk to her daughter, see how she was doing.

"Hey baby, you ok?" Michelle sat next to Layla on the couch, during lunch she had once again gone quiet.

Layla turned to face her mom, nodding her head and smiling, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"You know you can always talk to me about anything," Michelle placed one of her hands over Layla's which were in her lap.

"I know, I guess every time I spend time with you guys it reminds me of how much I missed out on."

"All that matters is that you're here now. You know I'll never forgive myself for not knowing what was going on, how much you were suffering. But what's important is that you're here now and we're together."

Layla tried to blink back the tears but a few escaped as she sat forward to hug her mom. "I love you mom. It's not your fault. I pushed you all away, how were you to know?"

Michelle held her daughter tightly, seeing how much pain her daughter was still in, she wished she could take all the pain away. "I love you so much, Layla, my precious baby."

Layla enjoyed the time spend with her parents and brothers; it was nice to relax with them for the day. Slowly with her families help, especially Nick's, she was starting to heal. Her family noticed the change from when she first came back after Carter, when she was an a complete mess barely saying two words to now. She was smiling more and joking around with Nick and Ryan a little, just like they used to, her family could see the small moments when Layla went back to being that fun and smiling, happy person she used to be. They just hoped that one day she would be completely happy again.

* * *

Joe walked down the hallway with his daughter, Jon and Colby, seeing Layla heading their way he smiled, an idea instantly popping into his head. Something he knew his daughter would love. He went to speak to Layla as she got closer to them but Jon beat him to it.

"Hey Layla, come meet Joe's daughter Talia."

Stopping where the three guys stood she crouched down in front of the young girl, who was wearing a snow white dress, holding her dad's hand. "Joe you never told me your daughter was a princess," she smiled at Talia before smiling up at Joe.

Talia giggled, stepping forward a little, "I'm not a princess."

Layla smiled at her tilting her head slightly. "Are you sure about that? I mean you've got the dress and you've definitely got long hair like a princess. Plus these guys look like they might be your knights, protecting you." she pointed up to the three members of the Shield who all smiled at how Layla was interacting with Joe's five year old daughter. "I'd definitely say you're a princess."

Talia giggled some more, "Do you work with my daddy?"

Joe crouched down beside his daughter. "Yep, this is Layla. She does everyone's hair here. You know I bet if you asked her nicely she'd do your hair."

Talia's eyes lit up, "Really?"

Layla smiled, still crouched down in front of the little girl. "Definitely, I've always wanted to do a princess' hair. What do you say?"

Talia nodded her head eagerly. "Yes, please."

Joe smiled at his daughter. "You go with Layla and let her do your hair and I'll come find you later. How does that sound baby girl?"

"Cool. I love you daddy." Talia wrapped her arms around Joe's neck hugging him before turning back to Layla who was now standing up.

"Oh I see, daddy gets a hug but I don't? And here I was thinking I was your favourite," Jon pouted which made both Talia and Layla laugh. This was the first time she had seen Jon with kids, she was surprised at what a natural he was.

Talia, giggling, walked over to where Jon was; now squatting so he was level with her. "You're funny when you pull that face."

"Oh so now I'm funny as well? You're breaking my heart kid," Jon pulled another sad face, holding a hand to his chest.

Talia hugged him, "Uncle Jon, you're still my favourite, even when you're silly."

Jon wrapped an arm around her waist before standing up, "You're my favourite too, kiddo."

"Am I anyone's favourite?" Colby asked looking at Jon and Talia.

Both Jon and Talia shook their heads in perfect synchronisation.

Layla stood next to Joe smiling at the scene before her. "Is it always like this?"

Roman smiled nodding his head as he turned to look at her. "Pretty much; Jon's a natural with kids and Colby's pretty good too. She adores both of them but ultimately her and Jon always team up against Colby."

Turning back Joe and Layla couldn't help but laugh, Jon was still holding Talia, both of them sticking their tongues out at Colby before high fiving.

"Okay, guys I think that's enough teasing Colby for now. Talia, time to go with Layla, come on."

Jon placed Talia back on the ground, high fiving her once more. "Stay cool kiddo and I'll see you later."

"Bye Jon, bye Colby." Talia quickly ran over to Colby tugging on his jeans, Colby eventually crouched down to her level. "You're my favourite too, just so you know." She smiled at him before running over to where Joe and Layla were standing.

"Be good for Layla." Talia nodded and kissed Joe's cheek before taking Layla's hand.

* * *

Half an hour later Layla, who had put Talia's long curly hair into a gorgeous French plait, walked with Talia into catering; she figured that's where the guys would be. She wasn't wrong, walking in it didn't take long for Talia to spot her dad standing near a table.

"Daddy," Talia called out running over to where Joe stood.

Joe turned around at hearing his daughter, leaning down in time to pick her up as she came catapulting at him. He stood to his full height again, Talia in his arms grinning. "Layla Fench Plaiteded my hair." Joe smiled at the way his daughter couldn't quite pronounce French and the way she said plaited. He loved times like now when his daughter and fiancée would join him on the road for a few days.

"It looks beautiful Baby girl." He sat back down at the table next to his fiancée, Jessica. Jon, Colby, Jimmy and Jey and Jimmy's fiancée Naomi also sat at the table.

Jessica smiled at her daughter, "Wow, who's a lucky girl. Did you say thank you to Layla?" Talia nodded her head.

Jessica looked up to Layla who was stood near the table and smiled at her. "Thank you, it was really nice of you to do her hair. I'm Jessica, Joe's fiancée."

Layla smiled at the woman, "It was no problem I had some spare time. Anyway I better get going I've got to sort everything out for later. It was nice meeting you though."

Layla was about to turn to walk away when Jon started talking. "I'll walk with you I've got to go that way anyway." He smiled at her as he got up from his seat. Jessica and Naomi looked at each other, a small grin on both women's faces. It hadn't gone unnoticed by either of them how Jon's attention had been completely on Layla since she entered catering.

Layla just nodded, standing there as he said bye to his friends.

Walking down the corridor with Jon, Layla didn't know what to say to him. Though she found herself around Jon and the other members a lot the past few weeks since being introduced to them she was still very quiet. She only really opened up with Nick, most of the time she didn't really speak much on the road, yet Jon always seemed to have a way to get her speaking, even if it was only a little bit.

He turned his head to look at her as they walked, Layla could see this from the corner of her eye. She bit down on her lip nervously. "You're good with kids. I don't think anyone's going to be able to get Talia to be quiet for a long time about you doing her hair and calling her a princess."

"She's a sweet kid"

"She sure is. She's also a complete daddy's girl."

Layla smiled. "Yeah I could tell. She's a big fan of you too."

Jon smiled, he was happy that he could once again get Layla talking. He had figured talking about Talia was a safe bet, women tended to enjoy talking about babies and kids. "Most people are." He smirked, "But yeah, she's a good kid."

As they turned the corner, they almost ran into Rosa Mendes. Upon seeing Jon, Rosa smiled then her smile dropped when she looked at Layla where it was replaced with a look of disapproval.

"Hey Jon, how are you?" Rosa flashed him a toothy smile.

Jon just looked awkward, not really wanting to speak to the diva. "Hi."

"I was just on my way to catering to get some food, wanna join me?" The smile never seemed to leave her face and if Jon was honest he found it kinda freaky; it didn't look natural.

Layla suddenly felt extremely awkward standing there; if Jon had a thing with Rosa she didn't want to get in the way. Looking at Jon awkwardly she pointed in the direction of the room she was working in that night. "I better erm get going, erm bye."

Jon watched as Layla quickly walked off, he didn't want her to go. Why did Rosa have to have such bad timing? He was enjoying talking to Layla, he always did.

Remembering Rosa was still standing there waiting for an answer; he ran a hand through his dishwasher blond curls. "I've already eaten, maybe another time. I've got to go, bye."

Jon left before Rosa had chance to say anything, needing a cigarette. Rosa stood there smirking; she would definitely be taking Jon up on that 'another time.' She had had her eye on Jon for a while now and she always got what she wanted.

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed Talia, she may just have to make another appearance later on...**


	7. Nightmares

_**A massive thank you for all the reviews, follows and favourites, your support means a lot :)**  
_

* * *

_Walking through the door, Carter pounced on Layla shoving her into the wall, his hand going around her throat. "Did you think I wouldn't notice you little slut?" he hissed, his face contorted in anger._

_Layla stood there, terrified having no idea what had set Carter of this time, even more scared of what was to come._

"_I-I-I don't K-kno-know what you're t-talking about," Layla stammered, his grip on her throat loosening._

"_DON'T LIE TO ME!" Carter slammed his free hand onto the wall by Layla's head, scaring her further. Tears rolled down her eyes as she wondered what she had done wrong this time. They had only been out to meet some friends for drinks and she had made sure to wear something Carter approved of._

_The look in Carter's eyes scared her, no compassion, no love; nothing good ever came when he had that look in his eyes. Layla was sure that look in his eye would be the last thing she's going to see that day when he finally went too far and killed her._

"_Did you really think I wouldn't notice the way you were looking at Matt? Laughing at all his jokes like the pathetic slut you are. How many times do I need to remind you that you're mine, I'm the only one allowed to touch you. You disappointed me tonight, angel." Carter's voice was low, as he ran a knuckle down her cheek._

_More tears rolled down her cheeks as she once again looked into his eyes, "I'm sorry."_

_Layla knew what was coming next, closing her eyes as the familiar sting spread across her cheek; a vicious red hand print visible._

Sitting bolt upright in bed, her breathing heavy Layla's hand went up to her cheek as tears rolled down her face. It wasn't real, Carter wasn't there it was just another nightmare she told herself. Telling herself that didn't change how scared she was though. Climbing out of bed and walking across the hotel room, Layla climbed into Nick's bed, like she had for the past few nights. The nightmares had come back full force recently and she was barely sleeping, jumping at the slightest thing.

Curling up next to Nick, she smiled when he put his arm around her waist pulling her closer to him. He didn't even have to say anything, knowing she must have had another dream. His warm embrace was enough to make her feel safe in the dark hotel room. Every time she did this it reminded her of when she was little and scared of the thunderstorms, taking her teddy and running into Nick's room to sleep in his bed.

* * *

Sitting in catering with Nick and Big E, Layla didn't seem able to concentrate on anything Nick and Big E were saying as she sat there in her own little world, looking at nothing in particular.

She blinked a couple of times when Nick started waving a hand in front of her face, Big E amused by the whole thing. "S-sorry did you say something?"

Nick held a sandwich in front of her, "You need to eat something, Lay. You've not eaten all day. Nick was starting to get really worried about his sister again, after all the progress she had been making; it was like the nightmares that had started plaguing her full force once again were taking her back to that dark place again. She was barely sleeping and when she did she would wake up a couple of hours later terrified, she hardly seemed to eat and the smallest thing was making her jump.

"I'm not hungry at the moment, I'll get something later. I better get back, see you later. Bye E." Layla gave them both a small smile as she got up from the table and headed out of catering.

Sitting on the other side of the room, Jon was barely paying attention to what Joe and Colby were saying; his attention on Layla. It had been a few weeks since Joe's daughter and fiancée had visited, and while Jon had found himself talking more to Layla, he had also noticed how withdrawn and tired she had been for the last week. He also hadn't failed to notice that she rarely seemed to be eating at the moment; he didn't like seeing her this way. He didn't know why he cared so much but he did, he missed Layla's infectious smile.

"I'll catch you guys later," Jon didn't even look at Joe and Colby as he quickly said bye.

Picking up a sandwich and a bottle of water, Jon quickly left catering knowing exactly where he was headed.

Lightly knowing on the door before going in, not wanting to make her jump by just barging in, Jon smiled holding up the sandwich and water for Layla to see.

"Figured you might be hungry, I saw you didn't eat anything earlier." Jon stepped further into the room, closing the door behind him.

Layla gave him a small smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. "That's really sweet of you but I'm not hungry."

Jon raised an eyebrow at Layla, "Maybe it's just where I love my food and I'm a fat ass, but how can you not be hungry when you've not eaten today?"

This made Layla giggle, "Would your fat ass like half?" As the words left her mouth, Layla suddenly got really nervous, biting down on her bottom lip; would Jon be mad at her for calling him a fat ass? Her mind was put at ease though when Jon smiled at her, until that point she had never really noticed how good Jon looked when he smiled, so used to seeing the look he put on when he got into character. With his piercing blue eyes and wayward blond curls she wondered how he was still single.

"My fat ass has to go find Joe and Colby and film a promo for later, enjoy your sandwich Princess." Jon winked at her before leaving, hoping she would actually eat the sandwich.

* * *

Seeing Joe and Colby walking out of catering and walking down the corridor, Jon started jogging to catch up with them.

Realising they were too busy talking to notice him, Jon pounced on Colby putting him in a headlock.

"Tut- tut skunk, too slow today," Jon smirked, not releasing his hold on Colby. Joe just shook his head, used to this kind of behaviour from Jon and Colby.

"Man, I'm so going to kill you later. Get off me," Colby moved around trying to get out of the hold.

"Gotta catch me first," Jon grinned before releasing his hold on Colby and running down the corridor, Colby following him. Joe kept his leisurely pace, laughing at his two friends.

Reaching the room they were shooting their latest Shied video in, Joe chuckled at seeing Colby now putting Jon in a headlock.

"So where did you head off to earlier?" Joe looked at Jon, curious.

Curious himself, Colby released his hold on Jon letting him speak.

"Took Layla some food, she's not really being eating a lot lately," Jon nonchalantly replied not noticing the grins on his friends faces.

"Aww so cute," Colby cooed. "So when are you going to ask her out?"

Jon looked up at Colby, "What? Who said anything about asking anyone out?"

Roman grinned at Jon, "It's obvious you like her bro, I've seen the way you are around her. Man up and ask her out."

"You two are crazy," Jon pointed at both his friends shaking his head.

Colby laughed, "Yeah we're the crazy ones. Is someone scared of a certain hair stylist's older brother?"

"I'm not scared of anyone, now will you two shut up."

"What's the problem then if you're not worried about Nick? Layla's a nice woman and I've never seen you so concerned about whether or not a woman's ok and eating enough." Joe asked, raising his eyebrow.

"What am I not allowed to have female friends now?"

"Cos _friends _is all you want to be with her, right?" Colby smirked. Jon didn't have a chance to reply as the camera man and director walked in.

* * *

Layla stood against the barrier waiting for Nick to get back; he had one last match with Jon bringing an end to their short feud. The match, on Main event, was being recorded that night along with Smackdown and the guys wanted to go through some moves. To pass the time, she had a few hours before she needed to start doing people's hair, she found herself watching Jon and Joe go over moves in the ring while they waited for Nick to get back. She winced when Joe speared Jon, both guys noticing and looking over at her.

"Looks worse than it is princess," Jon grinned over at Layla as he stood back up.

Joe laughed, "Yeah he says that now to appear manlier. Just wait til he's complaining tomorrow about his bruised ribs."

"We all know I'm more of a man than you, A'noi," Jon smirked at his friend, "and I've got the scars to prove it. I don't see you doing a death match anytime soon."

Painful memories of Carter cutting into Layla's skin, scarring her hit Layla like a ton of bricks at Jon's words; she had to get out of there.

Layla left quickly mumbling something about needing fresh air. Rushing down the corridor, Layla looked for the nearest door, she needed fresh air and to be alone. Fighting back the tears and in such a rush, she didn't notice Punk walking in front of her as she walked out of the exit to where some of the production crates were. Running straight into him, he put an arm out to steady her.

"Whoa, someone's in a rush," as the words left his mouth he noticed the tears she was fighting back.

"Has something happened Layla?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.

"No. I'm fine. I need to get going."

He didn't believe her; one look at her told him something was wrong.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Nothing to talk about, I just wanted to get away from all the chaos inside."

"You can sit on my tour bus for a bit if you want. You won't get disturbed."

She smiled, just wanting to be somewhere away from everyone else; a tour bus was perfect for this when everyone was in the arena or hadn't arrived yet. Punk led the way, wondering what had upset Layla so much. The last time he had seen her looking this scared had been the Summerslam party. Had Randy tried something again? If he had, Punk was going to wipe that smug look of his face. Though he didn't know Layla that well, she was sweet and he counted Nick among his close friends; he didn't take well to people upsetting his friends' family.

Once inside he gently tried once again to get her to open up. Knowing how jumpy she had been lately and seeing in the past how she reacted when someone that wasn't Nick touched her, Punk decided it was best to sit on the other couch, opposite her, on the bus.

"It's stupid." She said to herself more than him, her eyes on her hands which were in her lap.

"How about you let me be the judge of that, what happened?"

"He didn't mean anything by it, he didn't even say anything offensive, it just brought back memories, not that they ever really went away." Once again, Layla was speaking more to herself than to Punk.

"Who did?" Punk was even more confused now, wondering who had said what and what memories it had brought back.

"Jon was talking about being scarred and it just…I've said too much. I need to go." Layla stood up quickly ready to leave; Punk stood as well gently putting a tattooed hand on her upper arm in a comforting manor, he could see Layla was in no fit state to be wondering around on her own. His touch, though gentle, made Layla recoil, a terrified look in her eyes as she looked up at Punk. It was like she was somewhere else, with someone else and this worried Punk further.

"Layla you can talk to me if you need to talk to someone. It'll stay between us." Punk sat back on the couch, Layla had done the same.

Layla wasn't aware that she was rambling to Punk, still overcome and lost in all the memories she constantly fought to put to the back of her mind, her past tumbling out as she stared at the floor.

"Nick walked in…I hadn't seen him in so long…he didn't really like me seeing people too much, especially towards the end. Nick walked in and...and he stopped him, he saved me. Carter wasn't always that way, and it was my fault most of the time, that's what he said. After a while I got used to it… to the pain, I got good at hiding the marks… and he was clever in where he left them…and I'd tell myself that he didn't mean it."

Tears were falling down her cheeks. When she finally stopped to take a breath, looking up at Punk it hit her suddenly what she had just told him. Reading her mind, he quickly put her at ease that he'd keep it between the two.

"Don't worry; I'm not going to tell anyone. So that explains why Nick is so protective over you." Punk's heart was breaking at the sight of Layla and the emotional pain etched on her face. Hearing that she had been in an abusive relationship, a lot of things started making sense. Now he knew why Nick had taken that time off in May, why he was so protective of his sister, he'd be the same. He'd kill any guy that did that to one of his sisters or close friends, after the video Punk made in response to some tweets between him and Chris Brown a few years ago, it was obvious to everyone just how much Punk despised guys who abused women. Punk thought back to how Layla had reacted to Randy at Summerslam and now he properly understood just why she had been so terrified.

Layla nodded, wiping the tears with the sleeve of her hoodie. Something told her she could trust Phil and right now, she needed to talk to someone; she was slowly learning that holding everything in wasn't good. "He blames himself, I keep telling him it's not his fault but he still does."

"You're his baby sister, he probably feels like he let you down. Seeing how you're trying to deal with it all must also be hard for him. The affect it's had on you."

"You probably think I'm weak, I do. That's one thing Carter was right about; I'm just some weak and pathetic girl."

"I don't think you're weak at all and neither should you. I think you're extremely strong and a survivor. You went through something no person ever should have to go through and you're still here." He gave Layla a warm smile. "If you ever need someone to speak to I'm always here."

"Can I stay here for a bit? I don't think I'm ready to go out there yet," Layla wiped more tears with her sleeve as they fell.

Punk got up from the couch, "I have to go but stay as long as you want, and remember I'm always here if you need to speak to someone.


	8. Breakfast With The Shield

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

Stepping off the treadmill, Layla took a large gulp from her bottle of water before wiping some of the sweat from her forehead before taking a seat on one of the weight benches in the hotel's gym. Unable to sleep and not wanting to disturb Nick, she had chucked some yoga pants on and headed down to the hotel's gym, knowing there wouldn't be anyone else there at 4.30 in the morning; the beauty of 24 hour gyms.

This was part of the reason she had asked Nick to show her how to work all the equipment in the gym, it gave her somewhere to go when she couldn't sleep; something positive to do to take her mind of everything. Plus there was the added benefit of the amount of time she spent in the gym was starting to show, she was looking healthier and toned.

Looking up surprised when she heard the door opening, feeling a little anxious, she was relieved to see it was only Punk. However at the same time she felt a little awkward. She hadn't spoken to him since telling him her secret; four days later she still couldn't believe she had blurted it all out to him. But maybe having someone who wasn't her family to talk to would be a good thing.

Smiling, Punk walked over to her taking a seat on the weight bench next to the one she sat on.

"Couldn't sleep either? I thought I was the only insomniac that went to the gym at five in the morning," Punk grin at her, his tone light and playful, wanting her to feel at ease.

"I don't always sleep well; I don't have the best dreams." Layla looked at the floor, chewing on her bottom lip.

"I meant what I said about you being able to talk to me about everything," Punk turned to look at her.

"It's not fair of me to unload all my problems on you."

Punk shrugged, "I'm a good listener and maybe talking to someone who isn't family will be good for you."

For the first time since he sat down, Layla looked up at him a small smile on her face. "AJ's lucky to have someone like you."

Punk smiled back, "I'm the lucky one; she makes me less of a jerk." This made Layla laugh.

"I wasn't always this timid person, always scared that I'm doing the wrong thing or saying the wrong thing. I was always so happy, enjoying life, playing practical jokes on Nick and my other brother Ryan. I don't know how to get back to that. I'm twenty two, I should be enjoying my life, having fun and instead I'm a mess."

"You're not a mess; you're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for. Give yourself time to readjust to not being with your ex."

"Have you ever considered being a motivational speaker? You'd do well," Layla gave Punk a small smile taking another sip of her drink.

"I'll remember that," Punk chuckled. "How long were you with him for?"

"Nearly four years. He was so different to all the guys I was used to. He didn't care who my brother was, he wasn't into wrestling. I guess I liked that, someone who liked me for me and not who my brother was."

"So you ended up going to the same college?"

"Yeah, I guess that's when it started; I just never realised at the time. Carter realised college wasn't for him whereas I really like it. He didn't like all the friends I was making, getting invited out all the time. After a year, I wanted to keep him happy and so I dropped out of college and agreed to move to Denver with him; his sister and her boyfriend lived there. Things were good for a while and then he started to get controlling again, dictating my life. Just after I turned twenty the violence started."

"He dictated who you could see, keeping you away from friends and family so you were dependent on him?" It was a rhetorical question from Punk, Layla answered anyway.

"Yeah, by that point I already believed everything he said. That I was worthless and pathetic and no one would ever want me. That it was my fault every time he hit me."

"It wasn't your fault Layla, Carter is the sick bastard with the problem. Did you report him after leaving?"

Layla shook her head looking at the floor, unable to look at Punk. "I know I should, but I'm scared. What if they don't believe me? Even if they did, how do I tell them everything he did to me? It means completely reliving it all."

Before Punk could answer his phone started ringing. Layla stood up, "Answer it. Thank you for listening Punk. Bye." She was out of there before he could say anything.

* * *

Layla's face lit up at the sight of Ryan as she walked into catering, having no idea that he was visiting. Jon couldn't help but smile at Layla's reaction at seeing her brother, even more when Ryan had only just managed to stand from his seat before Layla closed the gap between them, wrapping her arms around his neck before he spun her around.

"Oh my god I had no idea you were visiting. How long are you here for?"

Ryan grinned at Layla as he placed her back on her feet. "Oh I see, here for five minutes and you're already trying to get rid of me."

Nick smirked from his spot at the table, Jon, Joe and Colby also sat at the table. "Don't take it too hard Ryan. I've been telling you for years I'm her favourite brother."

"That's what she tells you so she doesn't hurt your ego. I'm her favourite and she's mine," Ryan stuck his tongue out making Layla laugh.

"If I remember correctly, you told mom and dad to take her back when they brought her home, you wanted another brother instead."

"And I soon changed my mind, especially when she said her first word to me."

Roman chuckled, "And I thought these two were bad with their bickering," he pointed to Jon and Colby.

Layla wrapped an arm around Ryan's waist. "I love you both equally ya massive idiots." Times like this, easily joking with her brothers made her feel like she was getting back to her former self.

With everyone sat at the table and Nick and Ryan's playful bickering finally done with, momentarily. Layla was surprised to find out Ryan knew Colby, Jon and Joe from his NXT days. Another reminder of how much she had missed out on during her relationship with Carter.

"We should all go out for dinner tonight. What do you say?" Ryan looked around the table at everyone, all of them nodding.

Walking into catering with AJ, Celeste smiled when she saw Ryan; along with AJ and Big E she also knew him from NXT.

"As if two Nemeth's on the road isn't enough to deal with, we have to put up with you too now?" Celeste smirked, stopping at their table, a hand on her hip.

Looking up at the face the familiar Texan accent belonged to, Ryan grinned. "You know you love me Bonin. I see you're still working the two tone hair."

"Love isn't the word I'd use, and actually Layla's dying my hair for me soon. So how long do we have to put up with you for this time," she grinned at him.

"Only a few days, don't cry when I have to leave though. Don't worry I'll miss you too. You too half pint," Ryan grinned in AJ's direction.

Dinner that night was fun, the stories all the guys had were hilarious. That being said, Layla was glad she had AJ and Celeste there to talk to as well. She had become pretty close with the girls.

* * *

Stretching, Layla blinked a couple of times as the sun lit up the hotel room. As happy as she was that Ryan was here, she forgot how loud he and Nick could be. Walking out of her room and into the seating area of the suite, Layla rubbed some sleep from her eye. "Can you two get any louder in the morning? I-"

Layla suddenly froze where she stood. Jon, Colby and Joe were standing in the room with her brothers, she was not expecting that. Standing there, wearing only an oversized shirt, Layla wrapped her arms around herself as all eyes were now on her. She found herself looking directly at Jon; making eye contact she couldn't help blushing. Was that a smirk curving his mouth? Probably amused at what a mess I look first thing in the morning Layla thought to herself.

"Morning princess," Jon smirked. He was thanking his lucky stars that he had agreed with Colby's idea to come see if they all wanted to grab some breakfast; mainly to catch up with Ryan some more. Seeing Layla like that; only wearing that oversized shirt, messy hair, make-up free, he thought she was beautiful and he wouldn't mind seeing her like that more often. He found her blushing adorable; she had no idea the effect she had on him. Maybe Joe and Colby were right, maybe he was falling for her.

"Sorry, I didn't realise you guys were here." Layla chewed on her bottom lip, a nervous habit of hers. What was that weird feeling she had with how Jon was looking at her?

"The guys were wondering if we all wanted to grab breakfast. You up for that, Lay?"

Layla smiled at Nick, "Sure, give me ten minutes to get ready and we can go." Giving them all a small smile, Layla turned to go get ready.

Going back into her room Layla brushed her teeth, ran her brush through her hair quickly deciding to leave it down before quickly pulling on some black skinny jeans, a white top and a cream coloured chunky sweater cardigan. Finishing the look with brown ankle boots and a maroon beanie, she grabbed her phone and bag before walking back out to where the guys were waiting.

Sitting in the dinner with the five guys, a big smile spread across Layla's face when she saw the waitress bringing over her pancakes with blueberries, she would be perfectly happy to spend the rest of her life eating pancakes with blueberries.

Jon noticed her smile and couldn't help smiling himself. "What's got you so happy princess? Apart, of course, from the obvious fact of having breakfast with us four gentlemen," Jon asked, his attention fully on Layla.

Layla giggled at Jon, he always made everything feel comfortable and made her feel less nervous. Before she could answer the waitress handed her the pancakes.

"Err dude, someone can't count there are five of us gentlemen not four." Ryan pointed out.

Jon smirked at Ryan, "I'm well aware that there are five of us but I said gentlemen, you're not a gentleman."

"Bastard," was Ryan's swift reply.

"To answer your question Jon, that smile on Layla's face is all about those pancakes and blueberries; her favourite food." Nick answered Jon's earlier question just as the waitress came with the rest of their order.

Laughing, Ryan looked at Nick, "Remember that weekend we stayed with grandpa and Layla convinced him to let us eat pancakes for every meal?"

This got laughs out of all the guys. "How did ya manage that?" Colby asked, amused.

"Because our baby sister does the best puppy dog eyes ever, no one was ever able to resist that look when she wanted something."

Layla giggled, "Yep, I pretty much had that look perfected from the age of four."

"Let's see this look princess." Jon was curious as to how good this look was and if he would be able to resist the look. Who was he kidding? He wouldn't be able to say no to anything Layla wanted, look or no look he thought to himself.

Swallowing the food in her mouth, Layla put on the best puppy dog eyes all the guys, except Joe, had ever seen. Jon couldn't help but wonder if she would use that look on him if they were dating. Whoa where did that come from? He really had to stop listening to Joe and Colby.

"Wow, that is cute as shit." Turning to Joe, Colby asked "Hey Joe, have you ever been able to resist when Talia gives you that look?" He was curious, he had seen Joe's daughter give him that look plenty of times.

Joe smiled, "Not once, she's had me wrapped around her little finger since the day she was born and I wouldn't have it any other way. Jessica has got pretty good at resisting the look though."

* * *

Layla couldn't help but laugh at AJ and her love of Chuck Taylor's. After finishing breakfast with the guys, Layla had met up with AJ and Celeste after agreeing to go shopping with them; Nick insisting she take his credit card with her. Walking into the mall AJ had insisted the first place they go was to buy some Chucks. Layla was happy with that, buying herself a pair as well.

"We so have to buy Big E a new shirt," Celeste declared. Layla was up for that, she had become accustomed to his large collection of Hawaiian shirts, she often wondered if he and Bray Wyatt shopped together for their shirts.

"Yes, he'll love it. " AJ grinned excitedly.

Standing in front of the mirror in the changing room, Layla frowned.

"It looks amazing on you, stop frowning." AJ smiled at Layla in the mirror, her and Celeste trying to convince Layla to buy the white halter neck dress.

"You don't think it's too revealing?"

"No, you look drop dead gorgeous in it. If you don't buy it then I'm buying it for you."

"I second Celeste on that. One way or another you're getting that dress."

"I don't know, it's not something I could wear all the time, I definitely couldn't wear it to work."

"Keep it for special occasions then, weddings, dates, that sort of thing. I mean I'm sure a certain member of The Shield would love you in that dress," Celeste smirked.

"Yep, you'd definitely render him speechless in that. Like Celeste said, it's perfect for dates."

Layla turned around to face the girls, blushing. "What? Dates? Like Jon would be speechless at me in this. You two are crazy."

"Who said anything about Jon? I don't remember specifying a member of The Shield, do you AJ?" Celeste smirked as she turned her head to look at AJ who stood next to her.

"Definitely didn't. Which can only mean one thing; someone had Jon on the brain."

"What? No I don't. It was the logical answer, Joe and Colby have girlfriends." Layla turned a deeper shade of red.

"Of course, the logical answer," Celeste grinned. "You two would be cute together, and he definitely _likes_ you."

AJ pulled Layla into a hug, Layla had gotten used to hugs from the girls now and wasn't uncomfortable when one of them hugged her these days; it was small progress but progress to her none the less. "We're only teasing you babe, we just want you to be happy."

Layla smiled, "I'll buy the dress, not for any dates or anything like that though, because I like it."

* * *

"So, you've been with Jess for a long time now, when did you realise you wanted to be more than friends with her?" Jon nonchalantly asked Joe who was spotting him as he lifted weights in the gym. Jon figured asking Joe would be the best option for advice. Colby, like Joe, was like a brother to Jon, but Joe was the more serious one; the best person for giving advice. He also knew Joe wouldn't make a massive joke out of it. Layla had been on his mind a lot lately. He definitely thought she was beautiful and he didn't like the idea of her being with someone else. Maybe he should ask her out to dinner or something like that.

Joe smiled at the mention of his fiancée, remembering when he first met her. "The moment I met her, she was stunning and I knew I had to ask her out. So I'm guessing this is about Layla?"

Jon didn't answer Joe's question, instead asking another question. "So you asked her out right away then?"

"Heck no! She was stunning, different to all the other girls at Georgia Tech. She had no idea who my family was, she didn't watch wrestling, and at the time she just figured I was another jerk. Anyway, about a month after I first met her she had a massive argument with her boyfriend at the time, he ended things with her and then drove off and left her at this party. I wasn't about to let her walk home on her own in the middle of the night so I gave her a lift home. I joked she could thank me by buying breakfast the next morning, she agreed and eight years later we have Talia and we're getting married."

"So the boyfriend did you a favour that night," Jon smirked up at Joe.

"Yep, the one good thing that asshole did was break up with Jess that night. You know, Layla's a good person, if you like her ask her out to dinner. What's the worst that could happen?"

"She could say no and Nick could kick my ass for even considering going there with his sister. The dude's protective of her."

"Nick won't do shit to you. He knows you're a good guy and anyone can see the chemistry you and Layla have. What, you scared she might actually say yes?" It was Joe's turn to smirk now.

Was Joe right? Was there obvious chemistry between him and Layla? Would Nick really be ok with Jon dating his sister? Jon was broken out of his thoughts by Colby joining them informing them it was probably time they left and headed to the arena. Jon was good with that, the arena meant seeing Layla. And that was never a bad thing in his eyes.

* * *

Hope you liked it, it was fun writing this chapter. There's a link on my profile to Layla's dress from the mall :)


	9. Hi Angel

**Loved all the reviews about Jon needing to man up. Will he finally man up in this chapter and ask Layla out?**

**Enjoy ;) **

* * *

Jon, Colby and Joe were all in the gym, talking as they worked out, at the Hell in a Cell PPV that night Jon would be up against Big E while Colby and Joe went up against Cody and Goldust and the Usos.

"Is it ever weird for you going up against Jimmy and Jey, or is it basically just like your childhood again, casually beating up your cousins? Colby asked turning to Joe who was doing squats next to him, Jon doing chin ups on the pull-up bar near them.

Joe grinned, "Nah man, it's like being a kid again. Our dads always had us putting on mini matches when we were younger."

Jon laughed from the pull up bar, "I can picture it now, papa Sika telling you you're not putting enough force into the bodyslam."

Colby shook his head, "I'm kinda disturbed by that. I can just imagine what birthday parties were like at your house." All three of them laughed.

As they continued to work out it wasn't long before Jon got distracted by the sight of Layla entering the gym. It had nearly been a week since Jon's talk with Joe and he still hadn't asked Layla out. He was waiting, he told himself, for the right time. Jon wasn't scared of anything but he didn't want to ruin things with Layla, he didn't want to risk ruining their friendship if she said no. And there was still Nick to think of, they were friends as well. If things didn't go well, that was two friendships ruined, not to mention the awkward position it put Colby and Joe in.

"Seriously dude if you don't ask her out, someone else will. Do you want that?" Colby raised an eyebrow at Jon who had been staring at Layla for five minutes straight now. "I've never seen you act like such a chicken shit over a girl before, she must be real special to you."

Jon gave him the finger, "Shut up man."

Shaking his head at Colby, Joe went to where Jon now stood deciding to take the more serious route with him unlike Colby. "He's an idiot half the time but Colby has a point, Layla's a beautiful woman and I'm sure you're not the only guy whose attention she has caught. Don't miss your chance, you'll regret it."

"He's an idiot three-quarters of the time," Jon smirked at Joe. "She is a beautiful woman and she can do a lot better than me."

"Don't even go there Jon. Yes you didn't have a great childhood but look at how far you've come. Stop trying to find excuses and go for it."

"As I'm a nice person I'm going to let those comments about me being an idiot slide, just came to inform you that you're up, Jon." Seth pointed to Layla standing by the weights looking unsure, "Time to go play her knight once again."

Standing in front of the weights Layla looked unsure, not sure which bar was right for her. Where was Nick when she needed him? Celeste even, she was always lifting weights.

"I'm guessing you don't normally lift weights, you don't want to start with anything too heavy." Layla jumped clutching her chest, spinning around to see Jon stood there. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

Layla smiled at him, god how he loved that smile. "I didn't realise you were there. So which one do you think I should be lifting?"

As she stood there in front of him, Layla couldn't help staring at his bare chest. Damn he looked good in just those black basketball shorts. Where did that come from? I really need to stop listening to AJ and Celeste, Layla thought to herself.

Picking up a bar Jon walked over to the bench, Layla following. "I'll spot you, princess. Do you know what you're doing?"

Layla nodded. "No laughing at me though. Remember I'm not as fit or strong as you." Layla felt at ease with Jon as she got into position on the bench.

"I wouldn't dream of it, princess," Jon grinned at her. "Do five to start with, ok?" As he stood above Layla in the spotting position, his arms readied near the bar, it would be a lie if he said he didn't enjoy the view he had of Layla. All he could think was how good she looked in yoga pants and the white spaghetti strapped vest she was wearing, enjoying the view of her chest rising and falling as she bent her arms bringing the weight down to her chest and then back up. Then there was that look of complete concentration on her face as she did it, Jon thought that look was utterly adorable.

After Layla had completed the five reps, she smiled up at Jon as he took the weight from her hands and placed it back, Layla once again getting that feeling in her stomach as her hand brushed against Jon's when he took the weight from her hands.

Jon returned her smile, "You did good. You want to try again with a heavier bar?"

"Don't you have your own work out to be doing? I don't want to get in your way."

"I was pretty much done with my work out anyway. I don't mind helping you," he winked at her before getting a new weight for her to do more chest presses with.

Returning, Jon once again smiled at her before speaking, "So, same as before, only five. I don't want you overdoing it and hurting yourself." Layla nodded.

Placing her hands on the bar once again, Layla started her second set of reps, feeling the burn in her arms with every rep. Then on the third one, Layla suddenly felt her arms give out, the bar rushing towards her chest. Before, however, it had could connect with her chest Jon's hands shot out and caught it.

Layla remained in the same position, a panicked look on her face as Jon placed the bar back.

"Hey you ok?" Jon looked at her as he squatted down next to her, a worried expression on his face. By this point Joe and Colby who had been watching made their way over.

Layla nodded as she sat up swinging her legs over the edge, "Y-yeah it just caught me off guard." Standing up to sit next to her on the bench, Jon placed a gentle hand on her back. "Good thing you were here to grab it in time, thank you."

Grinning at Layla, Jon said, "I'm always here to protect you princess."

Smirking Colby couldn't help himself, "Yeah, Jon has his occasional uses." This got him a slap up the back of his head from Joe.

"Ignore this idiot. You sure you're alright babygirl?" Joe smiled at Layla, the more he got to know her the more he started to see her as a sister and he wanted to make sure she was ok.

Layla nodded again, "I'm fine. I think I'm done with my work out today though. Do you guys want to get some lunch, if you're not too busy that is?"

All three men nodded and smiled, Colby speaking first. "Sounds good, I'm starving."

As the three made their way to go shower and change before getting some food, Rosa walked in.

A large smile on her face, "Jon, so glad I ran into you, I've been meaning to talk to you."

Layla shared an awkward look with Joe and Colby, "Erm, I guess we'll meet you later Jon."

* * *

Layla sat with Nick, Celeste and AJ in catering watching Jon's match on one of the monitors. Jon and Big E were putting on a good match however as the match went on Layla's eyes widened in shock when she saw both of them bleeding. Her heart was beating like crazy in her chest and she couldn't take her eyes of the cut under Jon's chin. Of course she was also concerned about Big E and the cut under his eyes, she, through Nick and the girls, had become friends with him but she was so much closer to Jon and so much more concerned about him.

Nick could see the worry on her face, wrapping an arm around her shoulders he whispered on her ear, "He's fine he's had much worse than this." Nick was of course refereeing to his days on the independent circuit. Layla knew of Jon's independent days but hadn't seen many of his matches. She remembered walking in one time when Jon, Colby, Joe, Nick and Phil were watching the match when Jon had his head cut 'open' by a chainsaw; Layla had known he hadn't actually had his head cut open with the chainsaw but It still freaked her out.

Layla carried on watching, relief coursing through her when the match ended with Jon getting counted out after he refused to get back in the ring. Getting up from her seat she went to tell Nick where she was going but he already knew. Holding up a hand, Nick smiled. "I know, now go."

AJ and Celeste both 'aww'd' at the same time, grins on their faces as Layla ran out of catering.

Turning the corner Layla came to an abrupt stop as she saw a camera man filming Jon and Big E being stitched up, the video would then be going on WWE's website. As the medic finished stitching Jon up and the camera man left, Layla walked over to where Jon now sat on a crate.

"Hey," was all Layla could say. Now feeling like an idiot for rushing to Jon. Unsure why seeing Jon hurt bothered her so much.

Jon looked up at her a smile on his face at her coming to see if he was ok. "Hey princess, how you doing?" he asked.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? You worried me. I erm I –I mean you and E, you both had me worried. You need to be more careful."

Jon carried on smiling at her, finding her blushing cute, as well as her worrying about him. "I will be I promise. So are you going to be my nurse and look after me?" Jon's smile was replaced with that smirk of his.

Layla blushed even more, her eyes going to the floor. "I don't think you're injured enough to require a nurse. And anyway, I bet you're a terrible patient."

"I'm sure you would be able to make me behave princess."

Their moment was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Rosa Mendes. Pushing past Layla, she ran her hands up and down Jon's arms. "Oh my god, are you alright Jon? I was so worried."

Jon wasn't even looking at Rosa as he spoke, instead his eyes on Layla who was walking over to where Joe and Colby stood. "Yeah I'm fine. Look I've gotta go."

Rosa didn't move, "You know if you need someone to look after you I could always play nurse."

"NO!" Jon's quick response caught the attention of Layla, Joe and Colby, taking them all by surprise. "I mean, I'll be fine. No need for you to put yourself out. Anyway, I really need to go." Jon walked past Rosa over to where Layla stood with Joe and Colby.

* * *

After the PPV ended, Layla, Nick, Jon, Joe, Colby, Celeste, AJ, Phil and Big E headed to a diner to get some food and talk about the matches.

Colby turned to Jon, "Dude you so have a stalker on your hands with Rosa. You might want to let her down gently."

Celeste started laughing, "Yeah I heard all about her offering to play nurse with you."

Layla sat there silently as they all laughed about it. She didn't know why Rosa's appearance earlier that night and obvious flirting with Jon bothered her so much. Jon was single, he could date or sleep with other women if he wanted to.

Nick noticed his sister's silence and the look on her face. "Well I think I'm gonna head off. See you guys tomorrow. Lay, you coming with me or you staying?" He already knew what her answer would be but he wanted to give her the option to stay anyway.

"I'll come with you. I'm getting tired."

Jon's good mood disappeared at Layla's answer. He was hoping she would stay, he wanted to spend more time with her. He had already decided he was definitely going to ask her out before she left on Wednesday. Maybe they could go on a date on their day off.

After saying a quick bye to everyone, Nick and Layla walked to Nick's rental car ready to drive back to the hotel. Not long into the drive back to the hotel, Nick smiled as he saw Layla had curled up in her seat and fallen asleep.

* * *

Making sure all her bags were packed and she was ready to go back to Nick's for her two days off; Nick had a bunch of media and signings to do and so wouldn't be with her until Thursday afternoon, Layla jumped when she heard someone knocking on the hotel door, not expecting it. Walking across the hotel room to answer the door, expecting it to be one of the girls, Layla came face to face with the last person she expected to see.

"Hi angel, I missed you too."

* * *

Dun Dun Dun...


	10. A Monster And A Knight

Layla's breath caught in her throat, this couldn't be happening, he couldn't be here. She tried to shut the door but Carter was stronger than her, pushing his way in.

Stumbling backwards a look of sheer terror on her face, all Layla kept whispering was "n-no, no this can't be happening. You c-can't be here."

Following her in the room and backing her up against the wall, Carter cupped the side of her face, "I missed you angel." He went to kiss her but she turned her head away. This made Carter angry.

Gripping her hair now, a sneer crossed his face. "Why do you have to make everything so difficult, Layla," was the last thing she heard as the side of her head connected with the wall, hard; darkness taking over.

* * *

Opening her eyes, for a second Layla thought it was just another dream. Then she felt the searing pain shoot through her head. This was really happening, Carter was really here and Nick was in a different city.

"I'm sorry about that, but as usual you didn't make things easy. Don't look at me like that angel; you know you made me do it." Carter walked across the room siting on the edge of the bed next to her, running a finger down her arm, Layla flinched at his touch.

"W-what are you doing here?" Layla's voice was almost a whisper as she sat up on the bed, fear coursing through her entire body.

"You don't need to be scared, angel. I'm here to take to home, where you belong. "

Layla shook her head, tears falling down her cheeks. "No," her voice was barely a whisper. She wasn't sure where she found the courage from, but she wasn't leaving with him. She wasn't going back to that life with him.

"Don't make things difficult Layla," Carter moved closer to her, running a knuckle down her cheek. "I'm going to take you home and make everything better, angel. What's Nick been saying to you? Don't listen to him. He never liked me; he wants to keep us apart. But it won't work, we love each other. You're just confused."

Layla could only sit there, tears rapidly flowing down her cheeks. She knew there was no way of getting through to Carter with the way he was acting, she was terrified. She had seen his mood change from calm to ballistic in a matter of seconds before, but she had never seen him like this before. His almost calm demeanour sent a chill down her spine, she had absolutely no idea what he was planning right now, what he was capable of anymore and that scared her the most.

"I really missed you," Carter looked her up and down before moving closer. Layla just sat there, tears tumbling over her lashes as he started placing open mouthed kisses down her neck, his touch making her feel sick.

Pushing Layla down on the bed and hovering over her, Carter roughly pulled on the top of the black and white stripped sleeveless shirt Layla was wearing, popping the top four buttons off before he started to tug on the jeans she wore. Placing her hands on his chest, Layla tried pushing him away, but it didn't work. Carter just backhanded her; Layla could taste the distinct metallic taste of blood in her mouth, before tightly pinning her hands above her head.

More tears tumbled down Layla's cheeks as Carter continued to kiss down her neck and chest. She couldn't let him do this to her, not again. Mustering up all the strength she had, Layla brought her knee up to Carter's crotch using the momentum and element of surprise to roll him off her.

Seizing her chance Layla jumped up off the bed and ran to the door as Carter lay in pain on the bed. However it wasn't long until rage took over and Carter was up and after Layla. Layla hadn't made it far down the corridor before Carter had caught up with her, slamming her up against the wall, his hand going around her neck. Layla's eyes widened in shock, then terror overtook every cell in her body at the look in his eyes; glazed over he was like a man possessed.

Layla was struggling to breathe as Carter tightened his grip around her throat, she was terrified. She tried clawing at him, kicking at him; anything to get away, but nothing was working, his grip only tightened.

"Big mistake that, angel." Layla looked up into the eyes of the man she once loved, eyes clouded over with so much anger, as she gasped for breath, black spots starting to cloud her vision.

Then suddenly she could breathe again and Jon was squatting down in front of her as she sat on the floor.

"What the fuck, are you ok princess? Look at me, Layla. Baby, talk to me." Layla's head had turned to see Roman pinning Carter against the opposite wall further down from them, his large forearm across his windpipe. Turning back to Jon, Layla suddenly chucked her arms around his neck, fisting the back of his t-shirt. Jon placed on arm around her waist, the other going under her knees as he stood up with her cradled against him.

Layla clung to Jon so tightly, her knuckles turning white from how tightly she was fisting his t-shirt as she sobbed into his chest, scared of what would happen if she let go. With Nick not being there, Jon was the only person that Layla felt safe around. Jon's arms tightened around her pulling her closer to him if that was possible. His heart was breaking at her gut wrenching sobs; he could feel her trembling in his arms.

"I've got you Princess," he whispered into her ear as placed a gentle kiss on her head, "I've got you."

"D-Don't leave m-me, please. P-p -Please don't leave me. Don't let h-h- him get me, please" she mumbled into his chest, her voice barely audible.

"I'm not going anywhere." Was all Jon could say to her as he carried her down the corridor to the suite he was sharing with Joe and Colby wondering what the hell was going on and why the hell some guy had had her pinned against the wall? Did she know him?

* * *

Twenty minutes later Doctor Amman walked into the room, Colby by his side. Layla had calmed down a lot by this point but still clung to Jon, a few tears still rolling down her cheeks.

As Amman walked over to the bed that Layla was sat on, burrowed into Jon's side, Layla tightened her grip on Jon's t-shirt moving further into his side. "D-d-on't let him h-hurt me, Jon."

"Sssh its okay Princess, no one's going to hurt you. Doctor Amman just wants to have a quick look at you to make sure you're ok. Can you let him check you over?" Jon had his arms wrapped around Layla, one hand gently running through her hair trying to soothe her.

Layla tilted her head, looking up into Jon's eyes. "You'll stay though? I-I don't want to be alone."

Jon was a mixture of emotions, half of him wanting to kill the guy for hurting Layla; the rest of him wanting to take all of Layla's fear and pain away. The look on her face, so helpless and scared was breaking his heart; not to mention the way she desperately clung to him scared he would leave her all alone if she let go.

"I'm not going anywhere princess."

After Amman had finished gently checking her over, making sure she didn't have a concussion or any injuries that would require her going to the hospital, he walked into the seating area where Colby and Joe were; Jon staying with Layla.

Joe was first to speak, "Is she going to be ok?"

"Physically yes, but as she you can see she is clearly terrified. Have you called Nick yet? He really needs to be here."

"Yeah, I called him after I found you," Colby said.

Chris Amman looked sadly at both men, "She's going to need him. From the state she was in and the ripped buttons on her shirt, it looks like the guy tried to rape her. I know the police want to speak to her but I'm going to tell them that in my professional opinion, it's going to have to wait until tomorrow. She's in no fit state to talk to them. I'm going to inform Stephanie and Paul, they need to be made aware of what's happened."

"Has she said anything yet? Who the hell was that guy?" Roman, like Jon and Colby, was a mixture of emotions; worried about Layla and also wanting to seriously hurt that guy. He probably would have had the police not shown up.

"All she kept saying was, 'he wasn't supposed to find me.' I think she knew him. I've given her something to help her sleep for now and Jon's staying with her."

* * *

Back in the room, Layla sat in Jon's lap resting her head against his chest, a tight grip still on his shirt, his arms wrapped around her as he continued to run his fingers through her hair trying to relax her somewhat.

"Close your eyes princess, you need to get some sleep," Jon softy whispered in her ear, hoping the tablet the doctor had given her would work soon.

"I'm scared; he wasn't supposed to find me."

"I'm here now and I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. Close your eyes baby," Jon placed a soft kiss on her head.

"W-will you still be here when I wake up? Promise me you won't leave me," Layla tightened her grip on his shirt, a few tears rolling down her cheeks at the thought of Jon leaving her on her own.

Jon placed a large hand over her small one that griped his t-shirt, squeezing it gently. "I promise, I'm not going anywhere princess."

Jon sat there holding Layla in his arms, Layla felt her eyes getting heavier by the minute and eventually stopped fighting the urge to stay awake as the tablet Doctor Amman gave her came into full effect, the added sound of Jon's heartbeat lulling her to sleep.

Jon wasn't lying when he said he wouldn't leave, sitting there in the bed he watched Layla as she slept in his arms. He would sit there for the rest of the day and that night with her like that if he had to; he had no intention of leaving. At least not until Nick arrived then he would do whatever Layla wanted him to. Joe and Colby had sat with him for a bit, wanting to see how Layla was. He had told them they should go to the airport and go home, like they had all been planning to do, but they had insisted they were staying, they, though not to the same extent as Jon, had come to care about Layla, they wanted to make sure she was ok. They still had no idea who it was who had attacked Layla, all three of them had plenty of questions, but right now that could wait. Making sure Layla was ok was their main priority.

Jon suddenly felt Layla shaking in his arms as she started whimpering before she started moving about and saying 'no.' Jon could see she was getting worse and it was obvious what she was dreaming about, slowly shaking her shoulder he said her name a couple of times. Layla's eyes suddenly shot open; confused she jumped out of his embrace to the middle of the bed.

Jon placed a gentle hand on her arm, "It's me princess I'm not going to hurt you. You were dreaming."

Layla flinched at his touch at first, then as she became more alert and recognised Jon's gravelly voice, she jumped into his arms as more tears came streaming down his face. Jon wrapped his arms around Layla as she buried her face in the side of his neck.

* * *

An hour later, Nick finally made it back to the hotel rushing straight to the Shield's suite. After Colby had called him, Nick had hastily ended the interview he had been doing and headed straight back, panic coursing through him at what Carter had done to Layla. He was going to kill him.

Opening the door, Joe wasn't surprised when Nick barged right past him, eager to get to Layla.

"She's in that room with Jon," was all Joe said pointing to the room Layla and Jon was in.

As the door opened and Layla saw Nick walk into the bedroom she jumped, once again, out of Jon's embrace and ran to her brother wrapping her arms around his neck. Nick sat down on the bed with Layla, seeing Nick the tears suddenly started falling from Layla's eyes again as he held her close.

"I'm so sorry, Lay. I should have been here, I should have protected you. I'm here now." Nick gently rubbed her back trying to soothe her.

A little while later, with Layla once again sleeping Nick went out to the sitting room where Jon, Colby and Joe were; the three of them had decided to give Nick and Layla some privacy. Nick didn't want to leave Layla but he knew the guys would have a lot of questions and after everything that had happened, he knew they deserved answers.

Shutting the bedroom door behind him, Nick ran a hand through his hair. "Thank you for everything. I don't want to think about what would have happened if you hadn't found her when you did. I'm guessing you have a lot of questions."

All three of them looked up at Nick as he made his way to one of the couches and sat down.

Colby spoke first, "Who was that guy?"

Nick closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before he told them everything. "His name is Carter, Layla's ex." Jon, Joe and Colby's eyes all widened in shock.

"Today wasn't the first time he's attacked her, is it?" They all knew they answer to Jon's question before Nick shook his head. So much made sense to the three of them now.

"No. When I took that time of earlier in the year it was because I walked in on that bastard hitting Layla. I beat the crap out of him and took Layla to a hotel. I wanted to keep her safe so I managed to get her a job here. I thought if I was able to keep an eye on her she would be ok and I could keep her safe. Obviously I was wrong."

Joe spoke next, "It's not your fault man. No one could have predicted what happened today. Don't beat yourself up over it."

"How can I not? I promised her I would never let him hurt her again. My family had no fucking idea what was going on with Layla and Carter, now we do and we still can't fucking protect her." All of them could see how much Nick was beating himself up over this.

"You can't change what's happened but you can be there for her. She needs you. Go be with your sister," Joe was once again the voice of reason.

* * *

As Nick went back into the bedroom, Jon headed out on the balcony, in major need of a nicotine fix. Joe and Colby shared a look. "I'll go," was all Joe said as he stood up and made his way to the balcony.

"How you doing, man?"

Jon was stood with his back to Joe as he looked over the railing. "I've never seen her so fucking scared. She was so scared of being left alone."

"She's a strong person she's going to be ok. The police have Carter."

"I could have prevented this. I could have stopped this from happening if I hadn't have been such a pussy. If I had grown a pair of fucking balls and asked her out, we would have been out somewhere. She wouldn't have been here for that fucking bastard to find her and almost rape her." Jon felt sick at the thought of Carter almost raping her. Like Nick he blamed himself.

Joe walked over to Jon placing a hand on his shoulder. "That's fucking stupid, Jon. The only person to blame is Carter, not you or Nick. No one could have predicted this. Yes, you could have asked her out but that doesn't mean you would have definitely done something today, or that this ex of hers wouldn't have tried the same thing some other time."

"I feel so hopeless I just want to take all her pain away. I don't know what to do man. I'm not good at this."

"You're wrong, Jon, you're not giving yourself enough credit. You were the only person she trusted without Nick, the only person she felt safe with. All you can do is continue to be there for her, keep doing what you've been doing. Keep being the guy that makes her feel safe and comfortable, who makes her smile and laugh. Be the guy she continues to fall for."

Jon's head shot up at Joe's last words, Joe just chuckled. "It's not too late to ask her out. Not straight away, but in time. The chemistry's always been there between you two and the way you were the only person she would let touch her earlier, the way she listened to you and felt safe in your arms; there's something there." Joe walked back in leaving Jon to think things through.

Back in the bedroom Nick sat on the bed, gently stroking Layla's head as she slept. He was going to have to call their family and tell them what had happened; he wasn't looking forward to that. It seemed his sister's nightmare was far from over.


End file.
